Living Orange
by Interfector
Summary: The life of a criminal has its downsides.This tale follows Klaes, a beater, lonely solo player, and criminal in Aincrad. Hunted by The Army and banned from towns, he must fight in a world where everyday is a frantic battle to survive; his only hope a desperate shot at redemption in the form of a bewitching player he meets in the snow. Follows OC, but keeps to cannon parings/events.
1. Prologue

**Living Orange  
**  
This is a tale of an orange player in Sword Art Online. The story follows Klaes, a «beater», lonely «solo player»,and criminal in Aincrad. Hunted by «The Army»and banned from towns, Klaes must fight in a world where everyday is a frantic battle to survive, and his only hope a desperate shot at redemption offered in the form of a bewitching player who's life he saves.  
Original Characters. Appearances planned for most main characters. All canon pairings.  
**I will try to update this story every 2 weeks with a new chapter. Stay** **tuned.  
**_**ALL reviews **__**are welcome**_

**Prologue: **

Aincrad 40th Floor, November 2nd, 2023

I arch myself backwards and the next instant green light consumes the air in front of my nose, the illuminated metal sending polygons of light raining down on me. I use my momentum to roll backwards, my AGI(agility) stats kicking in as I skilfully shift my body into a kneeling position. I have less than a second before my opponent is upon me again, and I begin drawing my right arm around; my blade crossing over my body in an graceful arc, I parry the creature's purple-tinted longsword with a «Slant».

In that moment, a surprisingly realistic look of shock appears on the «Snow Elf»'s face, and as I bring my blade down upon the stunned NPC I momentarily forget that I am inside a game. The elf staggers backwards, a long red line appearing on its perfect face as my sword finishes running a course through its light-blue skin.

I push myself off the ground with my right foot, snow blasting up into the air behind me as I leap over my quarry. As soon as I land behind her, I begin to badger the heavily armored, pointy eared creature with «Sword Art Online»'s most essential aspect of fighting, «Sword Skills». The thing yells out in pre-recorded cries as it tries to turn to face me, but using a combination of "Horizontal" and the quick triple attack "Sharpnail" I manage to keep the elf facing away from me for long enough to take its HP bar down to red zone.  
**  
**The «Snow Elf» screeches in a mix of what can only be agony and rage as it spins to face me, the metal held by its outstretched arm glowing an eerie bluish color. I side step the blow, throw in a quick jab and then leap backwards, retreating back across the icy ground. I slide to a stop, my feet digging into the snow to stop my virtual body from falling off the edge. I glare at the Elf which is walking towards the ice towards me. The NPC has around 25% of her health left. I have about 35%. My body in the hospital bed lets out a deep breath as the system I am living in simulates one.

The air that my mouth lets out becomes foggy as the system register 'breathing', and I once again start to feel the slightly artificial "cold" that dominates this floor of «Aincrad» . I remind myself that a Nerve Gear sits atop my head, and that I'm lying in a hospital bed, not standing on a snowy field in a mystical world. This is important to remember.

This is a game. This place is not real. Everything is fake. A lie.

That's what I tell myself.

But as the «Snow Elf» screeches and lunges towards me in a «Sonic Leap», as I parry and draw my sword across the elf's body in smooth clean motions, as I jump back and feel the cold air filling my lungs, and as I deliver a final crushing «Vertical», I know I am lying to myself.

This is real.

The Elf's helmet shatters into shards of light as she tumbles to the ground. For an instant I see long, snow white hair flowing in beautiful waves behind her. Then there's a flash of brilliant blue and all that remains of the enchanting creature is a few glittering polygons,which drift slowly up into the air and begin to fade away. I stare up as the polygons of light shatter, their residue crawling up towards the heavens and past my orange player cursor.

Death is like this for everything in «SAO».  
Villagers, Quest NPCs, Monsters, Bosses, Pets...

Friends.


	2. Chapter 1: Red and Snow

**Chapter 1: Red and Snow.**

November 3rd 2023   
One of the largest disadvantages as an «Orange Player» in this world is transportation. Most of the gamers trapped inside this 100 floor cage can teleport from floor to floor and town to town. The system was built to allow rapid but expensive transportation through the use of teleport crystals, and to have a way for everyone to rise from floor to floor with ease inside cities.

I cannot do «orange» status blocks me from towns and safe areas, making it impossible for me to teleport in. To make matters worse, the chance of guards murdering an orange is far too high if we get close to a «gate», so criminal players have to take the long way.

That is, the stairs. Winding from dungeon to dungeon, past high level monsters, through boss rooms. Hundreds and hundreds of steps. A tedious, long climb up to the higher floors. It's taken me a full day to reach this dungeon, but once I climb these stairs, I should be out of this snowy hell and finally on the 41st floor**,** one floor behind the front line. The encounter with the Snow Elf yesterday seriously slowed my pace, leaving me heavily fatigued and in need of heal potions. I can't fathom why they'd have a level 60 monster on a random plain in the 40th, but they sure as hell did. I wish I could've just skip this damned walk and used a corridor crystal.

But I'm way too poor to use corridor crystals regularly. In fact, I only have one left, and I need it for emergencies.

So I walk. Like a traveller on his pilgrimage, I push on through this snowy wasteland with only one objective in my mind: the next floor. The snow under my feet feels synthetic, but the 'feeling' that simulates cold is enough to make a shiver run down my back as I push myself over yet another steep hill. My coat almost drags behind me as I walk over the landscape, the sky a deep blue and the seemingly endless fields are covered in a thick blanket of ice and snow. I thank the Cardinal system for its kindness.

"_At least there haven't been any storms_" I think to myself.

At that moment, «SAO»'s weather decides to pull a prank on me. With a determination I had never witnessed before, the wind begins to pick up, growing to a loud howl. Before I can even gape at this manifestation of my horrible luck a thick, icy layer of snow begins to descend from the sky as if it had been waiting for some optimism to crush. Icing on the cake: hail begins to fall. Within minutes, I am trudging miserably through a full-blown snowstorm, the hood I have pulled over my head barely protecting my face from the harsh winds.

For a brief moment, I can imagine the god of this world, Kayaba Ahihiko, laughing at my suffering from above. I push this thought away for after a second and keep trudging onwards. There's no way he's controlling all of this.

The hail keeps falling.

–_What a joke.  
_  
After about two hours of fighting my way through the storm and watching my HP gradually decrease due to environmental damage, I reach the edge of a forest. The entire 40th floor is like this, the hunting grounds alternating between cold forests with Western trees and flora, and large, deserted tundras. I collapse into a messy heap at the foot of a wide tree, sheltering myself from the storm.

_This was even worse than the swamp floor..._

I prop my back up against a tree, and let out a sigh of bliss at the feeling of shelter. I haven't slept in a inn since I went orange four months ago, and the "rest" you get in a field is usually unsubstantial. As I pull a blanket over my body I feel the fatigue of the past few days wash over me, and I sense that my eyes are beginning to shut. The last rays of sunlight bounce off the snowy ground as the world goes black around me; I drift off into a deep slumber..

I dream of traps, swords, and a grey haired man with a wicked grin. Screams. Blood which isn't blood. Death, too.

* * *

I wake up screaming.

"ARISSA!" My yell echoes out throughout the forest, bouncing off the trees and creeping it's way through the dark night. I snap into a sitting position, my eyes darting left and right nervously. I hastily activate my «Hiding» skill, allowing my % of concealment to go up to 80%. I lie face down in the snow, hoping the white in my trench-coat will blend with the snow. I have by no means a good level in hiding, but considering I only started training it a month or two ago it's decent enough. My brown eyes turn green as I activate my highly pro efficient «Searching» skill.

As my skill works its way through the forest and finds nothing, I let out a long, deep sigh of relief and place my head back down on the soft snow. If I had been caught asleep out here...

Being found by a group of players as a lone criminal is **bad **news because it can only end in one of two ways: jail or death. In my time as a regular player I have had many a thief and murderer get thrown into «The Army's» Black Iron Castle. Unfortunately, those were the lucky ones; due to the mental state of orange players in general and the fact that attacking an orange counts as "self defense" in all circumstances, many encounters end in bloodshed. A dead criminal player, to a large part of the people stuck in Sword Art Online, is slightly less depressing and heart-wrenching than winning a all-inclusive ticket to a free cruise trip in the Caribbean.

I rub my eyelids, and then re-open them, gazing out into the dark sky. As it always is in this world, shards of light which are not stars dot the sky; the bottom of the next floor hangs hundreds of meters above me, a dreadful reminder of the cage I reside in. The shards of light which resemble stars are suspended awkwardly in mid air above me, not moving or shifting in any direction. I find myself frustrated when I attempt to remember what real stars look like; my memory fails me again and again, dragging reality away.  
I try to place a word for these pseudo-stars.  
_Fake_

Is all that comes to mind.

I yawn and pull up my status inventory. The time reads [03:47] or 3:47 AM. November 4th, wow.  
_Ughhh..._  
I never woke up this early for school, did I?

I let out a low groan as I pick myself up. This spot under the tree is comfortable, but I cannot afford to sleep in an open forest with no hiding. Within the next hour, I'm going to need some sort of roof over my head, that is, apart from the roof of this floor that serves as a painful reminder of the climb I'll have to make today.

I pick myself up, dusting some snow off my trench-coat. I'm wearing a large white trench-coat, gilded in blue and the inside the color of deep ocean water, «Snow-Blue Coat». It's not exactly the best for camouflage in city areas, but here in the snowy plains the only thing I need to do to hide myself is lie down flat on the ground. Being this close to the main dungeon, I get the feeling I will need to use this to my advantage today.

I trudge my way through the snowy forest and towards the huge tower, ignoring the NPCs which my searching skill detects. As a level 56, the majority of NPCs on this floor are not worth the experience points to kill, at least outside the dungeon. However, I know that the instant I get inside that tower and start making the climb to the 41st floor, I'll begin encountering higher level monsters again. For this reason, I am carrying two heal crystals and a large amount of potions.

The giant tower which holds the climb to the next floor looms in the distance, and I sigh, trudging towards it. It's still at least a mile away, and I can't be bothered to run.

Around a kilometer away from the tower, two things happen.  
First, I hear a scream. A high, ear wrenching and heart tearing scream that shakes the entire forest. A player's scream.

Second, my Searching skill kicks in, and suddenly icons appear all over my line of sight. Orange icons. A green one too.

In «SAO», monsters are never affected by what the player says. In the early days, many who hadn't participated in the Beta test tried yelling and shouting at monsters to scare them off. It took a few dead players and about a week for people to determine that the only thing that yelling at monsters does is give away your location.The colorful language directed at monsters stopped shortly after this discovery, as there was no benefit to it unless you wished to attract the attention of nearby players.

Whoever is screaming probably knows this.  
Whoever is screaming thinks that just because they aren't NPCs they aren't monsters.  
_How foolish._

I rush forwards in a crouched down position, activating my hiding skill and diving into a patch of bushes. The snow on the leaves shakes a little as my body wedges itself into the ground. Less than a minute later, a player comes into sight. A shapely woman with mid-class leather armor and flaming red hair is sprinting, her feet are a blur as she gallops over the snowy forest ground. I see above her health bar that she is the green player I detected from earlier. She sprints out into the middle of a clearing, tears at the edge of her eyes as she propels herself forward._  
Run...  
_For a second, it looks like she might make it, and then she slips. I watch in horror as her foot lands on an icy patch and her body tumbles down; she rolls for at least a meter before smashing into a tree. Even from here, I can see her health bar decrease slightly.

_Taking visible damage from such a small fall? How low-level is she?  
_At my abnormally high level, my HP bar wouldn't change in the slightest from physical damage as my minor. Hell, even for mid range players, taking damage from such a tiny drop is absurd.

Orange cursors blink into my FOV(Field of Vision) as the criminals rush in. They run towards the fallen girl, laughing at her misfortune. My eyes confirm what my searching skill had detected earlier. _Six of them...  
_  
I can't fight that many. Even at my level, a fight with six criminal players means almost certain death. They don't look like they're out for blood, so maybe I should just let them rob this girl then help her after that...

The bandit players are getting closer to the red haired girl. It seems she has given up on running, her head ducked between her knees. She's shaking in what seems like fear. . The criminals laugh as they begin closing the last 100 feet between them, and the six bandits slow to a leisurely jog. They're all warriors decked out in mid-range gear. Two men with one handed swords and shields;one young boy and one girl, both with spears; a warrior carrying a one handed curved sword and buckler(type of shield), and trailing in the back a rapier user running with a strangely familiar skip to his stride. Even from my cover, I can hear the girl whimpering in fear as the men close in.

– _Dammit, I can't just stand here, can I?_

Nope. I can't.

"_Why do I keep on doing this?" _I ponder. Dragging out my inventory list, I re-equip my high level chest and arm pieces, watching as my left forearm is clad in a dark blue gauntlet. My chest feels slightly heavier as a substantial amount of leather attaches itself to my body. I make sure my blade is properly equipped, and prepare a corridor crystal, just in case. If I'm forced to use it, I'll have to jump to the one location I KNOW they won't follow me. Black Iron Castle. If I got there, there is little doubt that The Army will capture me and I will become imprisoned. It's better than dying, though.

I sigh, and take a deep breath.

I'm about to become the "White Knight" Klaes, a hero who jumps out to save a damsel in distress, and the orange cursor above my head is only making this even more ironic. I grab the hilt of my blade and I put my foot behind me, ready to pounce at my attackers. I begin counting down under my breath, measuring the seconds until my attack.

"10...9...8..."

The bandits are less than 10 meters away from the girl. She raises her head up from her knees, and seeing how close they are attempts to turn and run. She slips once more on the icy terrain.

"7...6...5..." I count on methodically

The six stop in front of her. The red haired girl cries out and ducks her head away as a blade slices right above her head. The men laugh as her voice rings across the forest, a high pitched, terrified cry for help. _Why don't they just take her stuff?_

"4...3...2..."

The queer looking rapier user from before steps past the other members of his orange party. His thick and obviously fake orange-yellow hair waves in the icy wind as he drags a small line across the girls cheek with his rapier. He begins yelling vulgarities at her and poking at her arms with his blade.  
"_I can't stand this any longer" _I think to myself as my eyes do one more sweep over the offending group. My eyes fall on the red-haired victim and the orange haired orange player, and in that moment...

"2...1...ze-"

My foot freezes in place, denying me the valiant leap into combat which I had prepared for. I feel my face go rigid as I stare at what made me hesitate, what stopped me from going in to save her.  
Something my searching skill could not pick up.

When I think it over, it doesn't don't add up:  
_They're not doing much damage to her.  
By now they should have at least taken her items and crystals.  
She's low level but she's wearing relatively high-class gear.  
_

Yet it's none of these things that stop me from jumping out there and saving the red-head.

My two dark brown eyes are fixed, entranced by a peculiarity which is hard to ignore. The girl who's being harassed and the male rapier user...  
They each hold light armor on their chests.  
Identical armor.  
A awkward mix of red and blue patterns on their chest plates, too strange to be random choices.

_Something isn't right here...it's way too similar t-  
_I fully sheath my blade; then turn to sneak away, but at that very moment the bushes on the other side of the clearing burst open. A shadow launches itself towards the horde of orange players and the "alleged" victim, and I catch a glimpse of a one-handed sword swinging high in the air as a Sword Skill activates.

"Hyaaah!"

Blue light from the sword skill followed by a streak of long blond hair. I briefly see a green cursor hovering over the figure's head as it arcs its blade down towards the criminals.

A new problem has arrived.  
Another player.


	3. Chapter 2: Death and All His Friends

**Chapter 2: Death and All His Friends**

About one month ago, I joined a four man bandit group. We were all orange players looking to attain money in the simplest way possible: by stealing from other players. I joined it because at the time I was lonely, depressed, and needed something to be a part of.

At first it was alright. A few muggings here and there, but we were for the most part just a bunch of guys stuck with orange status trying to get by. Unfortunately, things change. A criminal player named Mors joined our guild. He was ruthless, and he soon took over the guild and began leading us into far worse crimes. We went as far as attacking a small noobie guild and stealing all their weapons, armor, crystals and cols and leaving them to die in the middle of the fields. I went back soon after we left them and gave the poor players some teleport crystals(I never told the others this, of course), but I couldn't face the guild again.

I ran away with half of my guild's accumulated profits two weeks ago. A certain whiskered information broker who I am acquainted with warned me soon afterwards of how much they were offering her for my location. More col than I had stolen. I was glad to be free of Mors's reign, though; I've found another reason to dislike him.

He dyes his hair orange and yellow.

I did not realize it at first because of the new hair styling and armor, but the player which now stands with his jaw dropped in the middle of the field is definitely the criminal I have had quarrels with.

The figure he is gawking at, on the other hand, I have never seen before. The player had swung wildly at Mors on her first attack, and due to the absurd speed of the barrage I was unable to accurately determine what the hero-to-be looked like. Now that the girl is standing straight, her one handed sword hanging elegantly to the side, it is clear that it is a heroine-to-be, not a hero. Part of the minority in this game, a girl. She stands with her brilliant, long blonde hair flowing behind her, light weight blue armor covering the majority of her body. I cannot see her face as her back is turned to me.

A sickening smile draws across Mors face as he stares at the girl, the cuts on his cheeks and nose starting to fade as the residue of the hits disappear. His hand tightens around his rapier's hilt as he begins to speak.

"You nearly killed me there, bitch." Indeed, the girl's attacks did their damage, Mors' HP bar is a deep red. His five companions fall in behind him,, swords ready and wicked grins drawn across their lips.

"Yeah? Well it's a shame I didn't. Now listen up, I'll kill every single last one of you if you try touching that girl again, so why don't you guys scram?"

A soft, feminine voice. Granted, harsh words, but a soft voice nonetheless. Mors turns to his guild, and they all begin laughing.  
I watch the girl's shoulders slump ever so slightly, perhaps in confusion.

–Did she really think that would threaten them?

"Ohhhh! You're a tough one, aren't ya?" Mors spoke in a sing-song voice, waving his rapier in circles as he activated a heal crystal "Look here missie, why don't you just give us all your items and just be on your way? Then maybe we won't get hurt you too badly". As if to display his power, the crystal boosts his HP back to full, returning to the familiar blue color.

"Yeah little lady, give it up" The curved sword user from the orange guild, an pig of man I now recognize as a player named 'Titan' supports his guild leader. He has light brown hair, is relatively tall, but he is almost morbidly obese. His heavy armor, which hangs around him with the same absurd red and blue pattern as the rest of his guild, makes him look even bigger. The mysterious woman obviously picks up on this.

"Hey «Frenzy Boar», did I talk to you?" the girl clad in blue armor asks him, tilting her head sideways.

_Pffttt._

I must admit, for a girl of her height and of such a feminine build, she holds herself quite well. I watch as Titan's face turns a bright red, fury running through his super-sized cheeks. Behind him, I can see one of the shield-bearers is trying hard not to laugh.

_Titan's soft spot always has been his weight..._

"DO YOU WANT TO DIE?! I'LL SLIT YOUR NECK OPEN!" He roars.

"Go ahead and try. But are you sure you're fast enough? I mean..." She points towards the man's stomach "...it must take a lot of effort to haul that around." The girl's voice is drenched in a mocking sweetness to match her cruel words .

"Gah! You're nothing compared to me! I'm a level 50. I could be a front-liner!"

"And instead you're just a thieving pig that was ganging up with five other players on one girl. How sad."

One girl.  
I realize she's not talking about herself.  
In that instant, I remember why I'm not the white knight standing out in the middle of the field.  
_Oh crap_.  
I look back at the tree where the red head was at. Sure enough, she is gone. I spin my head around to warn the blonde, but at that moment.

"DIE!"

Titan hollers as he throws himself at the blonde, activating the extremely fast «Fell Cresent» Sword Skill. He closes the distance between them in less than a second, and I watch in amazement as the blonde sidesteps his blade, spins around him and stabs him in the back with her blade. He slides across the snow, his HP bar dropping by about 10% from the direct hit.

I can't believe it, she just used «Minimal Side-Step Defense» against a charge type sword skill. It's a technique where you dodge a blow using minimum effort, without blocking or parrying. It's great for counter attacks, but if executed poorly you take a direct hit. If that hadn't worked, she would be at least down to yellow health right now.

Seeing their companion downed, the orange guild charges her.

Now, just to explain. Fighting in PVP with groups is a whole lot different than group vs. monster fighting. For one, Switch does not work to the same extent. Secondly, due to different style of combat it involves, a group will all attack their opponent at once. For this reason, if you are outnumbered more than 1 to 3 in a PvP battle it usually ends in your defeat.

"In this case, however..." I mumble under my breath.

The criminals are having trouble with this fight. The blonde is dancing,. That is the only accurate way to describe it. She is not "sword fighting", as that does not do it justice, she is "sword dancing". She spins, parries, blocks, and slices away furiously, jumping left and right to keep herself from being surrounded. A criminal wielding a one handed sword tries hitting her with a uppercut, but the girl parries it, slamming her opponents sword down. She twirls and launches her sword into a stab, going straight for the swordmans neck when...

She veers the blade off on purpose, missing by mere inches.

_You're kidding_.

This girl jumped into a 1 vs 6 fight and isn't ready to kill her opponents? What kind of idiot is she?

The blonde leaps backwards, her hair flowing behind her as her feet kick up snow. On the landing She trembles slightly as she regains her stance, and then her form goes from amazing to mediocre as the will to fight slowly drains out of her. She's visibly shaken by how close she came to stabbing the bandit through the next

_She can't kill them, that's obvious._

Not that it's a bad quality in a person, the lack of the ability to commit murder, that is.

*Clap, clap, clap*

Mors, who has not even drawn his sword yet, steps past the rest of his guild members clapping.  
"A coward, just like all the green players, huh? It's a shame, you seemed so confident a while ago..."

The girl bows her head slightly, but then spins around towards the tree where the red head is.  
"Run while you can! I'll hold them ba-"

No one is there. The blonde looks confused. Then, what I have been fearing this whole time happens

The air shimmers as the red haired girl deactivates her hiding skill, her one handed dagger spits out a vermillion glow as it charges forward and embeds itself in the blonde's abdomen. The decrease in health is minimal, but..

"Why..." the girl with the knife in her asks.

The red heads cursor turns orange, and my suspicious are instantly confirmed. What made me eerie about this entire situation was the possibility that the red head was an scout for an orange guild. It appears I was correct. You can do plenty of terrible things without going orange, and I suspect that this is the first the the red-haired girl has taken direct action. Therefore, she'll be green within a few days, ready to trick another heroic player once more.

The blonde attempts to leap back and retreat, but she stumbles and falls. She lands awkwardly on the snow, tears the knife out of herself, and then gets up in an attempt to run. In the next instant, a yellow glow flashes over her body and she slumps to the ground within a few feet of the bush I'm `hiding in.

Ah... paralysis poison. What a cruel method...

The blonde stares from her paralyzed position as Mors closes in on her, his high, soft voice ringing out with laughter on every step. When he reaches her, he stands before her and cocks his head to the side.

"Have your fun. She's not the one I'm here for." the guild leader says to Titan as the lumbering beast picks himself up from the snow. Titan waddles over, grimacing slightly as he downs a health potion.

"I'll teach you not to mess with me" the hunk of meat says. Titan draws his sword and crouches down to the girls neck. She flinches for an instant, but as she is paralyzed she can't struggle.  
"I'm going to cut you up nice and slow" he says as he runs his curved blade down her neck, being careful not to damage her too much. It sickens me slightly

_But why should I care? It's not my problem anyways.  
_  
I've stayed my due and seen the outcome, it's time to go.  
I turn to leave, re boosting my hiding skill.

I'm about to make a break for it when I hear it.  
A soft, feminine voice seeps into my ears like honey into my mouth.

I turn back towards where the blonde lies.

The girl is humming a melody.  
"Shut up" Titan says, trying to quiet her down. Yet she continues.

The tune sounds like a winters day.  
It changes with every note, from winter, to summer, to spring, to fall.  
Then back again

It's beautiful.

It's melody of love, of overcoming the worst life has to throw at you, of victory and joy.  
My melody.  
Our song.  
There's no way I can run away from this now.  
I feel my legs tense up as I prepare to jump into the fray.  
_Arissa...forgive me for this.  
_  
My hand, moving of it's own accord, grabs the hilt of my one handed sword.

Titan begins yelling at the blonde, his digital spit hitting her face as he hollers at the small figure.  
I move myself into a dash attack position, and my sword begins to glow a light green.

He draws his blade back, as if he were about to slash her in the face.

With a loud war cry building in my lungs, I launch myself towards the players with the charge type sword skill, «Sonic Leap».

I bring my sword down as I land; blade connects to my target as Titan's arm lunges forward, with a satisfactory slicing sound ringing out through the forest.

There is a thud and a clatter as Titan's hand falls off and his blade bounces harmlessly off the blonde's chest armor, short of its target. The hand rolls across the snow for a millisecond then explodes into hundreds of tiny, brilliantly blue polygons.

"GAH! My ha-"

I hit him straight in the face with my heavily armored gauntlet, and he is launched backwards by the Martial Art's special skill before he can even finish his sentence. I give a silent thanks to Argo the Rat for showing me the quest that unlocks the fighting style as Titan smashes into the snow. I hear a weak gasp from the blonde behind me, and the other bandit's faces have frozen over in shock.

The combination of the amputation and a martial art attack has brought his health down to approximately 5%, and he begins screaming and convulsing on the snow when he realizes his hand is gone.

"MY HAND! MY HAND!" The big ape wails and starts whimpering.

"Quiet. It will fully heal and the hand will grow back. We're all just data, after all." Mors' voice pops out of nowhere.

I turn to face the rapier wielder who is standing only a few meters away from me. A bloodthirsty grin is drawn across his face, and his blade is hanging seemingly lazily at his side. I greet him.

"Oh, hey there 'leader', business as usual, I see?."

"Well...well..well..." Mors coos "Isn't it the backstabbing bastard Klaes?"

"It's been too long, Mors. I'm glad to see you you're still a crazed, blood-thirsty psychopath" I indicate towards the paralyzed blonde [with the tip of Heaven Splitter., my long sword.

"You left the group behind, you greedy little beater" His voice, soft and charming, is poisoned by his words.

"What of it?

"You stole HALF of our Col and you expected to get out home free?"

"Why ever not? 'It's all just date, after all', right?"

The fact that I quoted him makes his face go a deep red, but it soon subsides and he is back to his usual, eerily calm self.

"Yes, all just data. But I promise you, Klaes, I'll make killing you feel as real as possible. You're a fool to have interfered with this, and I'll make you pay dearly for your white knight attitude."

"White knight, huh? So be it. On guard, _peasant_." I reply.

Mors laughs at my response.  
"I will admit, I'll miss the sense of humor. Men, CHARGE!" He stands back, his rapier pointing forwards, as his guild mates sally forth to face me. Even though Mors is staying back, the dagger wielding redhead has switched to a spear and is also charging me. I can still hear Titan moaning in pain behind me, so I know he won't be in the fight for a while longer.

_One vs five, huh?_

A young spear wielder that I do not recognize is the first to reach me, and he goes for a straight stab at my chest in the hopes that my lack of a shield will result in his victory. I parry the spear, stepping past the head and closing in on the bandit. I can see the horror on his face as my fist draws forward, but instead of punching him I grab his spear in my left hand, my heavy gauntlet closing in around the wooden shaft, and I slice him across the chest. He falls backwards, and his hands leave the base of his spear, allowing me to rip it out of his grasp. I spin around, spear in my left hand, sword in my right, and use the spear to block a blow from a shield-bearer. In this "snatched" state, the spear is not equipped, so I have no access to its skills, but I can still block with it. I ram into the man's shield with meteor break, and as his head lurches back from the impact I see light blue eyes under the rim of his helmet. The shield-bearer is Insigah, a good humored and happy orange player that is "stuck" with the status, just like I am.

I duck down to dodge a blow from another bandit behind me, and then parry Insigah's sword downwards with the Heaven Splitter. I flip the spear around in my left hand, and before he can bring his arm back up from the parry I stab him through the arm with the spear, pinning him to the ground. Before the head of the spear has even embedded itself into the snow, I am twisting around, my sword glowing a deep crimson. My blade connects with the chest of the female bandit who was charging at me with a spear, and she falls to the ground as her HP hits the red zone and stops with little over 7% left.

"That much damage in one hit..." I hear the voice of the swordsman that the blonde nearly killed earlier and I spin to face the remaining two attackers. A few meters behind them, I can see Mors grinning wildly.

"That's right. I'm level 56, and thanks to the kind _donation_you guys made to me, I have high tier gear. No matter how hard you try, you can never win," My mouth shifted into a smirk "of course, you could attempt to kill me and die right where you stand."

To be clear, I would never be this sinister in normal situations. But when you're orange, you sometimes have to make an impression. It's _always_ best to avoid the fight, and if you can do that through intimidation, then all the better.

The redhead and the swordsman take a step back, clearly worried that what I said about my level is true.

The redhead stammers as she speaks  
"That´s impossible! There´s less than 10 people who have reached that level, and they´re green solo players!"

Ah, yes. Memories of the past few months and nightly solo raids of dungeons came back to me. Even when I was in the guild, I was in dungeons during the night. I recall running into one of these solo frontliners, but the Black Swordsman left me alone.

"Try me." I reply, I open my arms wide, letting the Heaven Splitter hang lazily in my hand.

The redhead frowned and points her spear down, ready to initiate a charge type skill.

"Rosalia, take Titan and the others and meet up on the 35th floor. He's mine." Mors spoke, his voice with a harsher tone than usual.

"But..." the redhead "Rosalia" look confused at her leaders orders.

"I'll deal with him and be right there, go. You are all too low level to take him."  
The girl opens her mouth to object, but finding no words she looks down at the ground. She gets out of the charge stance, and stands up straight.

"This is your sub-leader speaking. Everyone, meet up at the retreat location and use the corridor crystal, you have 15 minutes, go." She runs around me, and the help of the swordsman begins carrying Titan away. I let them go, listening as the cries of Titan get further and further away.

I look back at the tree where the blonde girl is. She's still paralyzed, but at this point it's probably for the best.

When I turn my eyes back to my opponent, a rapier is within a foot from my face.  
_Crap!  
_I barely have time to sidestep Mors' Linear when another stab is launched at me. This time I only manage to push it away slightly, and it sends a long red line running down the side of my chest. My HP bar decreases by about 5% and I leap backwards to distance myself from the rapier wielder.

"I'll give you credit, you've gotten fast Mors" I say as I slide back a few meters on my landing.

"AND YOU'RE AS GOOD AS EVER!" Mors yells as a he activates Shooting Star, a rapier type charge skill.

This time, I activate a one-handed sword charge skill, Rage Spike. I'm launched forwards, and the 8 meter gap between us is covered in less than a second as we both charge forwards.

I let out a battlecry as I thrust my sword upwards, smacking his rapier skyward and scraping the side of his face. He sidesteps and begins to barrage me with linears. I block franticly, parrying all his attacks. The man who was once my leader steps forward, thrusting again with his blade, but this time I parry and step past his outstretched arm, slamming him with my shoulder, activating the Meteor Break skill. He slides backwards on the snow, but keeps his balance. I rush him, but just as I reach him he sends a wild slice towards my neck. I duck under his slice and begin the one handed sword skill Horizontal Square. The first hit connects, but Mors blocks the remaining attacks, gets in a quick stab at my chest, and then leaps backwards to put distance between us.

We stand in the snow, breathing heavily from the exertion, our eyes locked in mutual hatred.

We're both in the yellow zone.

"Not bad, out of curiosity, what level are you?" I ask him.

"I'm also level 56, I saw you sneaking out every night and started doing the same," Mors chuckles as he says this "the rest of the guild still thinks I'm in the 40 range, so it'll be pretty easy to betray them when it comes down to it."

"What? You're going to them?." I'm stunned by his cruelty...no, his stupidity. "Why wipe out your own guild?"

"The money, of course. You took half our cash, which was a already a hell of lot of Col, but we've made up for that recently. If I took all of that Col, I could do anything I want in this world."

_Except buy yourself out of the orange status. _The bitter thought entered my mind.

"It's pretty simple, actually. I can monster PK them pretty quickly." Mors laughs. "I'm only telling you this because you're going to die here anyways, by the way, so don't even try running."

_Monster PK..._

"You're a coward."

Mors looks taken aback by my words. "What?"

"You're a coward, that's what I said. What, you still don't get it. You. Are. A. Coward!" I spit the last words out "Only the weak PK, and weaker are those who MPK."

Hatred returns to Mors eyes.  
"You have no right to talk! You betrayed us. Die, traitor" He launches himself forward with another charge skill.

_You have no idea how much I know about PK, fool._

This time, I launch myself over him instead of attacking.

"What..." a bewildered Mors looks up as I flip over him, but he cannot stop as he has already started the skill.

I land behind him, and right as he enters the cooldown for the charge I hit him with a 2 hit combo, forming a green V in the air, Vertical Arc. He stumbles backwards, but regains his balance and stabs me in the chest, his rapier stuck through my stomach. Before he can pull it out, I grab the hilt with the heavy gauntlet on my left hand and raise the blade in my right.. The Heaven Splitter glows a dark blue, and comes down in a heavy hitting downward arc, Vorpal Strike. My blade cuts a long red line going down from his left shoulder to his right thigh, and he cries in horror as his health drops to zero. He falls backwards, his eyes blank of emotion, and then he shatters into thousands of blue polygons.

I gasp as I pull the rapier out of my chest, and I stumble a few steps forward. All that is left of my hp is a thin set of red dots on the top left of my vision. I feel fatigue run its course through my body, and the last thing I see before I collapse is the blonde getting up from the place in which she fell.

I close my eyes and wait for sleep to envelop me. The snow around me is cold.

_When I wake up, I'll probably be in a jail cell in Black Iron Castle. There's no way the blonde isn't going to get me arrested._

At least, that's what I thought was going to happen.  
What did happen when I woke up was far more dangerous, far more painful, but at the same time...

_Alive._

* * *

**Continued in next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Choice of Birth and Union

**Chapter 3: The Choice of Birth and Union**

Whether this is a dream or a nightmare, I cannot tell.

The room I'm in is almost as cold as the snow I collapsed in; the air conditioner above my head is making a powerful humming sound as it chills my surroundings. Posters cover the walls, and on a cork-board lie dozens of pictures. Familiar faces, friends, the one's I've lost for almost a year cover the wall.

_Am I back?_

I look down at my hands, which feel lighter than usual. Surely enough, the heavy metal gauntlet that usually is clamped onto my left hand has been replaced by a wristwatch. From the array of numbers displayed on the watch, I can read out the date and time on the right side of the display.

November 6th, 2022. 5:12PM

_Oh. It's this dream again._

The me from a year ago moves on his own accord, and to my horror I can only watch as I do the exact same thing I did all those months ago. I pick myself up and walk towards my laptop, which is lying neatly on the top of my desk. As I pass by my beside table, I give my NerveGear a little tap on the top of the helmet, shaking the desk a bit. I don't even acknowledge the empty Sword Art Online box which lies next to the dark grey cage.

Time crawls as I sit myself down on my chair and pry open my laptop.  
The day it all began, I had been napping for hours after I got home. My mother and sister were out, and my brother was at the gym. I remember this.

I watch myself wipe my weary eyes clean of any dust, and then flip open the laptop. To my despair, I start typing in my password.

_No! STOP!_

The screen lights up in front of my eyes. Social media and games burst out all over my screen, and as hard as I try to stop it, my hand moves to the mouse. It drags towards the most popular social media site at the time, but then, exactly like that day, I stop. I look at my NewsReel.

_No...don't read it. Don't read it!  
_

As always, I read the News. The headlines of that day read "Greatest act of Cybercrime in History" "Players Trapped in new VRMMORPG" "Sword Art Online a death trap." For the millionth, I panic and I go straight to the message center of the social media site. I hear myself talk out loud.

"Please, please, please don't be logged on."

A message from one of my friends is plastered onto my screen.  
-DO NOT LOG INTO SAO.

I ignore it and wheel straight to the top of my message center, where one name lies.

Arissa  
**  
**I smash the button before I can stop myself.

One line.

That's all it takes.

-Meet us in Starting City at 7PM

I am silent.

Suddenly, I hear my front door smashing open from downstairs. My mother and sister are frantically yelling from below as they rush through the door.

"David! David, are you awake?! Whatever you do, don't log into Sword Art Online!"

I hear heavy footsteps as my family begin running up the stairs to my room. Their yells get louder as they get closer. I can hear that my sister is crying, even from here. I look at the message on my screen one more time, and then leap to my feet, grabbing my NerveGear as I run towards my bed.

_You can't save them, you idiot. Don't log in._

But the me from then doesn't listen. I flick on the on button, plug it in in record time and jump into my bed. I lie down face towards the ceiling; the sound of the door being thrown open and my sister screaming at me to stop reaches my ears, but I ignore her and speak out a single voice command.

"Link start!"

The world is consumed by red, green, blue, and orange; for what seems like the millionth time, I relive my birth into this world.

A birth by choice. I am here because I decided to be here.

The colors slowly fade out to a sheer whiteness, and as I wake from my dream, artificial cold returns to my body and my eyes slowly flutter open. I am not greeted by the sight of panicked players and crying teenagers, like I was that first day, instead my view is completely dominated by a light red, shiny one handed sword.

* * *

It takes me a few seconds to realize that this blade is hanging only a few inches away from my neck. I take advantage of the moment to observe the weapon: it's straight, with slightly jagged edges and an intricate runic pattern running down its side. Although it is not gilded, it is almost as beautiful as the Heaven Splitter, my spectacular obsidian blade with crimson colored edges.

I move my eyes up to where my attacker would be, daring not to move my head due to the possibility that such an action would result in my abrupt end. Light blue leather armor–player made, judging by the quality–covers the majority of an athletic and fair skinned body. My eyes draw up even farther, and past a layer of dirty blonde hair lie extremely feminine features, accentuated by two beautiful emerald green eyes which stare back into mine.

_If only her facial expression suited her beauty._

I don't say this out loud, of course, because for whatever reason, the girl I'm staring up at is already substantially pissed off. Now, by substantially pissed off, I mean it looks like I'm on the brink of getting a sword shoved through my vocal cords just for mumbling the wrong word. For a player in the world's largest death game, and a player that has no punishment attached to him if you kill him, this kind of facial expression is straight out of a nightmare. The face I am staring up at is truly a paradox. The features of heaven mixed with a look straight out of hell.

_Just my luck..._

"Move an inch and you're dead. Do you understand?" The contradiction standing before me speaks to me in the harshest tone it can muster, quite obviously trying to mask what is a soft and gentle voice.

_Such cruel words._

I barely stop myself from nodding in time, and then I look up at this girl's face again. I comply almost immediately after I see her facial expression, which can only be described as 'DIE!'. For a person who's life I just saved, she doesn't seem to appreciate me much.

"Uh...understood."

The girl nods, but then doesn't say anything. We just stand there, locked in an awkward silence. Unsure of what she wants to do, I focus on keeping her sword as far away from my neck as possible without lurching away. I'm about to ask what she's going to do with me, when a thought enters my head.

"Hey..."

"Yes?" The girls snaps at me. She doesn't even lower the sword a centimeter, and I feel it press slightly into my skin.

_Is she going to kill me if I say something stupid? Jesus, this woman is vicious._

"Mind if I check my status/ inventory for a few seconds? I'll keep it on public, so you can make sure I'm not equipping any weapons."

The girl looks confused for a instant, but when her eyes shift left and see the Heaven Splitter lying a few yards to my right in the snow, confidence returns to the emeralds which are pretending to be her eyes.

"...okay. But try anything stupid, and you're dead."

_Yes, sir!  
_

I immediately open my status menu, and look all over the screen until I find what I want. I smile, and close the window down again, only having pressed one button, Exit. I see the girl look down at me like I'm some sort of idiot, but I return her condescending glare with a smile.

_Y__ou can't hurt me, can_

I lift my left hand off the ground slowly.

"Hey, STAY DOWN!" she yells at me and pushes the blade closer to my neck.

Very softly, being careful not to drive the sword into my own neck, I use my gauntlet –the only heavy armor I have equipped– to push the tip of the blade away. The girl jumps back a few feet and gets into battle stance, the same one she used against the bandits.

I straighten up, dust some ice off my trench-coat, and get up. Snowflakes fall from the deep blue interior of my coat, and I dust myself off in the arms as well. I begin walking towards the Heaven Splitter when the light red blade flies past my ear and stops right in front of my nose, yellow sparks still flying off it from a Sword Skill.

"I said, STOP MOVING!" The girl yells at me again, but this time I can hear frustration on the edge of her voice.

"Tell me, what's your name?" I ask this without moving an inch, letting the blade hover in front of my eyes, its tip glistening with a sharpness that could kill me in an instant. My health, despite the long recovery time, has only risen to yellow as I was passed out, not asleep.

"My name is not one for criminal scum like you to know." She replies.

_Is EVERYTHING on this floor this cold?_

"Well, not that you had the good manners to ask, but my name is Klaes. I won't say it's nice to meet you,as that would be a blatant lie considering this probably qualifies as the worst way ever to wake up, ever. Regardless of your actions, I will give you this advice: only make threats when you're ready to back up your words with action."

_Whew, that's the most I've said to a green player in more than a month_.

I take another step, and once again the sword lunges forward, this time coming close enough to slice the tip of my hair. I wonder if she came this close to the bandit she nearly killed from Mors guild.

"Who said I won't kill you right here, right now, if you dare take another step toward that sword? Believe me, I will." Her voice fills with spite, as if I being lacking in the ability to kill was a flaw I just called her out on.

I look down at the Heaven Splitter, which is now less than 3 steps away. If I am wrong in this gamble, I will never reach that blade and my journey will end here on the snow.

_Here goes._

I take a deep breath, and take the last 3 steps towards the blade, bend down, and pick it up. I feel a blade hovering right beside me, but there is no flash of neon light or deep red polygons. I straighten myself out, and sheath my blade. When I turn, the light red sword is once again in my face, but I can see the girl is debating whether she should just stab or run for her life.

_Run._

"I know you can't kill me. Get out of here." I say it as bluntly as I can.  
_When I think about it...why has she stuck around? She could have just ran after I fell down._

The girl looks up into my eyes, looks up at where my cursor is, which I know is a bright orange, and then looks down at me again.

"Crap." She says. I wait for her to turn and run like all the others have, but she doesn't. Instead, I watch in horror as she sheaths her blade, and then stretches out her hand to me, palm open.

"I'm Jade, sorry for the bad first impression." The words roll out of her mouth like they're normal, or even possible.

This time, it's my turn to be confused. I look up at her face, down at her hand, and then up at her face again. Jade smiles in the "Well, hurry up and shake my goddamn hand" way that you sometimes end up having to use at formal dinners, and I automatically outstretch my hand too.

We shake hands for a bit too long, and then she lets go and looks at me.

"Now, if you could repay your debt to me..." she starts.

_Wait, what? Didn't I save her, isn't she the one in debt?_

"I could really use help getting to the next floor... as embarrassing as it is to admit it to a orange like you, I'm..." She doesn't finish her sentence.

"You're...?" I ask

_Ungrateful, arrogant, insane? Is that what you wanted to say, Jade?_

"I'm lost! Okay? Also, I heard the monsters in the dungeon will be high level and it would be a lot easier if I had someone to party with. So, help me get to the next floor!" She blurts out the words as quickly as possible, as if each one is painful for her to say.

_That's why she waited for me to wake up..._

"...you held a sword to my throat, you threatened to kill me, and you called me scum," _After I saved you from a group of six bandits, too, although they were probably hunting me_"why the hell should I help you?"

Jade cocks her head sideways, as if this completely well founded question is stupid. She looks up at my orange cursor, looks at me again, and smiles. For a second, I'm overwhelmed by her beauty, but then she says something that turns it all around again.

"Because if you don't, I'll get the Army to hunt you down and throw you into Black Iron Castle" Jade smiles happily as she says this, as if she just gave me great news.

"You... you can't just do that!" I am taken completely off guard, and end up spitting out some of my words.

"Of course I can. You're an orange player, after all. A criminal, right?"

Her reasoning is, unfortunately, 100% spot on.

_She's right, she can get me thrown into jail if she wants._

If you're orange, you lose all your rights to freedom, life, and liberty, regardless of how you became orange in the first place.

_This is the price we pay for avenging the ones we love.  
_  
It is the very essence of playing orange, the lack of liberty due to the crimes you have committed.

_Actually, to call it playing is incorrect. This world is not a game._

No, I am not playing orange. I am striding through every day carrying this burden above my head, this color cursor which tells the world it is alright to slay me for I have made others miserable. A burden that makes every day a dangerous one, every encounter on every floor a living hell.

I am alive in this world as an Orange Player.

I am Living Orange.

I look up at this beautiful, absurdly cold player in front of me. Jade looks back at me, her finger hovering over a "send message" button addressed to Thinker, the leader of the Army. I realize she's still awaiting my answer.

"Fine. I will help you get to the 41st floor, but after that we part ways. I need you to promise that you won't send anyone after me" I keep my voice firm and confident.

Jade smiles with what seems to be relief.  
"Ah, good, I'm glad that I have someone to guide me now," She closes the message box down without sending anything to Thinker "Worry not, Klaes, if you help me get to the 41st floor, I promise you I won't send anyone to hunt you down. You have my word." For whatever reason, she winks right after she finishes saying this.

I sigh deeply.

_I have no choice but to take her word for it._

I temporarily un-equip my light leather armor, letting my white trench-coat with blue gilding flow out around me. The deep blue on the inside of my coat is matched by my now visible blue undershirt. My white, jean-like pants drag in the snow as I begin walking, enjoying the cool breeze on my chest and face.

I hear Jade begin to follow behind me, and I look back for a second. Her light-blue armor and sword are still fully equipped, making it obvious she doesn't trust me in the slightest bit.

_Well, whatever, it will help to have someone to Switch with for once._

I begin making my way to the 40th floor's dungeon, through the snowy forests and onto the next stage of this giant floating world known as Aincrad.

Where this world will take Jade and I after that, only time will tell.

* * *

Hey there, it's Interfector, the author of this ongoing FF. If you've been reading up to this point, it means you probably like at least _something _about this fanfic. Now, that makes me happy, because the ability to tell a story and have others enjoy it is, in my opinion, part of what makes us human beings. Whether it be a true story or fictional, it's always nice to share memories or would-be memories, depending on which world we're talking about.

Now, that aside, I would really appreciate some views. I don't care if you love Living Orange or hate it, I'm writing this for the sake of improvement, not perfection. Regardless of whether your review is positive or negative, I'd really appreciate some feedback, if possible.

On another note, I just noticed I had a pretty serious mistake in the summary to my story. That probably explains why I had a weird feeling every time I read it.

**Thanks for reading up until here!**

**New Chapter should be finished by around January 9th/10th at the latest, but will most likely be up far earlier.**


	5. Chapter 4: Quest

**Chapter 4: Quest  
**November 4th, 2023

The death game of Sword Art Online, as much as I hate to admit it, is genius. Ten thousand people(now far less), mostly youths, trapped inside a gigantic castle in which their only escape is upwards. It's like an endless climb to salvation, to the real world. One could relate it to a climb to some sort of Heaven, although I'm not one to believe in that sort of thing.

The issue with this popular analogy, I realize, is that the higher we get, the harder things become. The climb the Front-liners make only gets harder as we get closer to the 100th floor, and even now inside the 40s range of floors, monsters are becoming more and more hellish and difficult to defeat. Although the death rates are not as high as they used to be, many a player still lose their lives trying to clear out the next dungeon.

This fact poses a question that daunts every single player in this world, including Orange players like myself. Do we trudge onward through hell and high water, or do we stay on the lower floors and live out our lives in this world? The 100th floor seems so out of reach at times, and it is common knowledge that the closer we get to it, the more deadly the fighting will become.

_What do we do?_

"SWITCH!" A yell reaches my ears, and I am pulled out of my thoughts and back into "reality". Jade is taking a step back, obviously in the cooldown period for a parry. Her eyes dart towards me, and she signals for me to swap in. I charge in with a Rage Spike and hit the Ice Fiend in the low of the neck. It stumbles backwards, but as it is still stunned from Jade's parry, it cannot react quickly, enough and I begin to rip it to shreds with Sword Skills.

_For now, we fight._

Switching is a very important part of Sword Art Online. When you parry or block an attack, both you and the monster you are fighting have a very short but certain period in which you are both vulnerable to another attack. It's in this tiny pocket of time that another player is supposed to step in, hitting the monster whilst it cannot attack back and dealing absurd amounts of damage. It is more effective than Stacking on mobs, which usually just gets your party members hurt, but I have not had the chance to use Switch for quite a while due to the nature of enemies I was fighting. Orange Guilds stack players. It's just how it works.

I finish with the Ice Fiend off with a Vertical, and it shatters into glassy polygons before me.

"Not bad, for a criminal player" I hear a soft, teasing voice behind me, and I look over my shoulder to see Jade standing there, grinning at me. She's beautiful, but the smile on her face angers me nonetheless, as I'm being forced to help this girl.

"You're not too bad either, for a damsel in distress." I say, my voice as flat and calm as I can muster it. Her face flushes a deep red at this remark.

"Hah-hah." Jade pushes me in the back, indicating for me to start walking. "Just get me to the 41st floor, thief."

_Thief?_

A terrible thought enters my mind. It festers and grows, and before I can stop it, it becomes a part of my very being. It festers inside my brain and sinks into the deepest, darkest parts of my memory.

_I'm no thief...I'm worse than that...  
_

If she finds out the truth, what will this girl called Jade do? I'm only going to be with her until the next floor... but.

_But this is the first person I've talked to in over a month_.

I don't want much from her, not even a friendship, but I don't want to lose a companion that way. She can't find out, or I'll probably have to fight her. I don't want that. Not again.

I sigh as I start trudging through the snow again. We're about a half-mile away from the dungeon leading up to the next floor so reaching the entrance won't take long, but it's the climb up that's difficult. Level upon level of staircases and climbs await us before we reach the door to the next floor, and I find myself dreading the fact that I'm going to have to climb up today.

_I was planning on taking a break outside the village next to the tower..._

I look to my right at Jade, who has been keeping pace a few steps away from me this entire time. She's a capable fighter, so the climb up shouldn't be a problem, but...

_I'm still fatigued._

That fight with Mors was a close call, and I didn't exactly sleep soundly after I passed out. I'm going to need to rest soon, whether I like it or not. I stare at the girl with dark blond hair, wondering how much shit I'd get if I stopped, or if she would allow us to stop at all. I have no idea how long she expects this journey to take, and highly doubt that she wants to spend a full night anywhere near a orange player.

"What is it? Is there a monster behind me or something?" Jade asks, a puzzled look on her face. She obviously caught me looking at her. I realize in this moment that we've stopped walking.

"No, I was just thinking..."

"What? Spit it out." Harsh as always, Jade pesters me for an answer, taking another step toward me. I wish I hadn't noticed it, but her hand is hovering over her blade, ready to fight me if I say the wrong thing.

I'm about to ask about a break, when a far more important question pops into my mind.

"It's weird...this entire time, you've said nothing about me killing Mors, and you saw it happen right in front of your eyes." I say.

Jade tilts her head sideways, clearly confused.

"You know...dying in game is dying in real life, that kind of stuff?" I continue.

"So?" a cold, simple response.

I'm speechless for a second, and before I can say anything else, Jade begins to explain what she means.

"He was an orange, right?" My eyes go wide as she carries on, each word coming out of her mouth doused in hatred "Anyone who makes other people suffer in a game like this is no longer human, so I don't feel much pity for him. Actually, considering he was a Player Killer, he might as well have been a humanoid type monster, right?"

_This girl..._

Wait, wait, wait. This doesn't make any sense.

"Then what about me, I'm _orange_, aren't I?"

"Yea, but I'm only partying with you to get to the next floor. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, you helped me out..."-_See: saved your ass-_"therefore you must have a decent side to you. Besides, I can tell Mors was the first player you killed, so you're probably just a petty thief."

_Wow, I'm not sure to be insulted or happy._

"Wait. How can you be sure Mors was the first person I've killed?" A risky question to ask, I know, but I'm curious.

"First off: the player called Mors was not a person, he forfeited his right to be called human when he Pked." _Okay, this could be potentially dangerous for me... _"Now, to answer your question: you passed out from shock after you took him down, so you're obviously a first timer." She keeps a completely straight face while saying this, and I have to stop myself from protesting and explaining how tired I was(and am). She doesn't need to know that I don't sleep well in this world because then she'll ask why, and I'll probably end up on the sharp end of her longsword. That is, _on_ the sharp end of her sword; Klaes kebab.

"You say that like you've killed before," I accuse her, smirking somewhat nervously in the presence of this potentially psychopathic woman.

"No... I haven't..." She bows her head down.

_Why is she saying that like she's ashamed?_

I look at this girl, whose head is bowed in what can only be shame, and I wonder about her past in this world. Is it that different from mine, an orange player? Is she different than me in only one key aspect?

_Stop thinking about it, it's not your problem._

I sigh deeply, and turn around.

"Right, let's go" I beckon for her to follow and begin treading through the thick snow.

A few seconds later, I hear a light set of footsteps me, speeding up a bit to catch up with me.

For some reason, I smile.

* * *

Ten minutes, we're at the entrance of the dungeon. I stare up at the humongous tower in front of me, and I can't stop myself from sighing. _I don't want to fight my way up this today..._I sigh deeply again.

"What? Stop making that sound, it's frustrating." The voice of the Jade comes from next to me. She's seemingly recovered from that strange moment she had a few minutes ago, and is back to her usual rude self. "C'mon Klaes, get your gear ready to so we can do this already."

_Oh, the joy._

I open my inventory and equip my light metal chest armor, which appears snugly under my trench-coat. I travel with leather because it is slightly lighter, but whenever I enter a combat zone, I switch to metal. As I hit the last of the buttons identical deep blue shoulder pads with intricate patterns appear on the end of each of my shoulders.

Jade stares somewhat in disapproval at my gear, but I ignore her icy glance and close my inventory window.

"Alright then, let's do thi—"

We hear a loud, shrill scream ring out a few meters behind us. Just from the tone, I can tell it's pre-recorded. I spin around, fully expecting to see a bandit-type NPC ready to fight us, but instead I witness a much stranger sight.

A girl in light clothing, with boots which remind me of the films about the ancient middle east, is running through the snow, screaming. Hot on her tail are two Frost Bandits, high level human-class "monsters" exclusive to the snow floors. The girl has a large "!" over her head, indicating that she is the starting point for a quest.

Jade, who has also been watching this spectacle, sighs deeply.

"Let's go already."

_What the hell? _A shiver runs down my spine.

I ignore Jade and stay there standing, watching as the NPC fleeing the bandits slips. She has slightly tanned skin and long dark black hair, making her look seriously out of place as she goes headfirst into the snow. Without even thinking, I draw my sword.

"Klaes, she's an NPC, she'll re-spawn later, we've got to g-"

I don't hear those last words as I launch into a full-blown sprint, darting towards the two frost bandits.

_For some reason... I get this feeling_.

I launch myself into the air with Sonic Leap, and my blade connects with the top half of the first bandit as I land. I slide past my injured opponent, kicking up snow as I come to a grinding halt. The two Frost Bandits switch their attention from their prey to me, and I can't help but feel a pang of uneasiness. Fighting more than one mob at a time in Sword Art Online can very easily be fatal, due to stun effects that getting hit hard enough activate. If I screw up now, it's very likely that they'll hit me with Sword Skills consecutively, and I won't have time to parry them.

The first Frost Bandit steps forward, his teeth baring under the gray bandanna that covers his eyes. He raises his curved one-handed sword up, ready to strike. I draw my blade to the left side of me, and bring my left hand up, bracing my right arm with my gauntlet in a position which will allow me to activate Horizontal almost instantly.

Just as the bandit activates his sword skill, another blade hits him straight in the side of the face. He goes tumbling sideways, and I watch in awe as a blur of blue armor and blonde hair darts after his rolling body.

_Right..._

On the top left of my FOV, I can see the name under mine, Jade. I hadn't expected her to help me out here, but I suppose it's for the best. I see her begin barraging her quarry with Sword Skills, and I turn to face my opponent. Whilst I was watching the blonde beauty attack the other one, I hadn't noticed the Frost Bandit activating Fell Cresent. The extremely fast charge-style attack covers 4 meters in about 0.4 seconds, and he is already lurching forwards towards me.

I barely have time to take a step back. The blade cuts me in the top part of my chest, but the majority of the damage is taken in by my armor—its durability dropping slightly as my health remains constant. I give myself a mental pat on the back for having brought that metal gear, which more than halved the damage I would have just taken... I parry the bandit's next hit, and check my HP simultaneously. Both Jade and I are still in the blue zone-but just barely- with our HP's a few pixels away from entering yellow.

_I don't have any heal crystals..._

I have to win this fast.

I push the bandit's blade sideways with the Heaven Splitter, and an artificial look of shock appears on his face as my fist finds a snug place to rest in the side of his jaw. He stumbles slightly, but before he can regain his balance, I begin the 7-hit combo, Meteor Break. It's a combo that mixes unarmed skills with sword skills, allowing me to start up a brutal slash-tackle-slash combo. The final tackle sends him skidding across the icy snow, but he plants his backfoot and comes to stop before he falls over. I activate Rage Spike, a weak but fast charge skill, and go for his neck. He parries with his curved blade, and I'm taken by surprise as he draws his blade back towards my face with an amazing speed. I jump backwards, but the blade still catches me on the soft part of my cheeks. To my despair, my HP drops to yellow and I'm forced to back off from my target.

"Klaes!" Jade lands next to me, facing the bandit that is undoubtedly walking towards the two of us from behind me.

"These guys are abnormally hard..." I say.

"Yeah, this must be a pretty special quest" Jade says. "You'd probably be dead already without my help, and you're reasonably high level."

I curse myself for taking up this challenge, especially as I'm not even sure why I jumped into help myself. Actually, I knew exactly why. It was a pretty pathetic reason, too.

_That NPC looked like someone I used to know._

Of course, I don't tell Jade this.

The two Frost Bandits begin closing in on us again, their black and gray metal armor giving off a somewhat dull shine in the blaring sunlight.

"No choice I guess."

"Ready to switch?" I ask.

"Ready."

The two bandits activate their charge skills at the same time, and go for us. It's in that moment that Jade and I abuse a major flaw in the AI of Sword Art Online. "SWITCH!" I holler. We spin past each-other and bring our blades crashing down in heavy hitting sword skills. The NPC I hit, who is targeting Jade, looks confused as my blade slams down on him, the first hit of Vertical Square connecting to his lower body. He doesn't have time to react to this change of combat style before the remaining 3 hits of the combo draw brilliant red lines across his body. This is the essence of Switch in Sword Art. Monsters can't change combat styles and adapt to a new opponent as quickly as players can, due to the nature of their AI. Due to this exploit in the combat system: Jade and I manage to bring our opponents down to critical health before they have time to react to us.

The bandit in front of me finally manages to react, slicing at my neck. I duck down under the shimmering blade and then dig my shoulder into his chest, lifting him off the ground. I plant my foot forward and bring my blade up in a uppercut. The combination of upward tackle and the slice launches him into the air, and his HP hits zero as the damage registers, resulting in a brilliant blue explosion of light about a foot off the ground.

I turn around to see Jade dancing around her opponent, finishing him off with a vertical arc to the chest. Her bandit also explodes, his body shattering like glass as he "dies".

We look at each-other, laugh, and then turn to the NPC that we've been fighting to save in the first place.

On the top right of my screen, I see a notification.

The slightly Arabic girl jumps at Jade's feet and begins crying. Jade looks confused, and somewhat disgusted with this sign of appreciation. Just as I'm about to begin talking with the NPC girl I undoubtedly rescued, there is a loud beeping sound and a message is displayed in front of me.

**[Epic Quest received for Party Member: Jade]**  
365 Aincradian Nights.

_What the hell?_

* * *

**Well, that took a lot longer to upload than I expected. Sorry for the somewhat late release. New Chapter will be up around Saturday.**

**Edit:**

Major thanks to Jack Falconer, who was kind enough to proofread this chapter and give me feedback on it. It's nice when readers are ready to point out what's wrong with a chapter to improve the quality of the story as a whole, and all feedback is welcome. Once again, thanks JF.


	6. Chapter 5: Pardon and Payment

**Chapter 5: Pardon and Payment.**

The text hanging at the top right of my screen puzzles me. It's in the same minimalistic format I've seen "Quest Received!" a hundred times before, but there's a very odd factor in play here. Two, in fact. Firstly, due to the nature of Sword Art Online, most quests are party quests, which get assigned to your entire group instead of individually. Secondly...

"Did you activate the quest?" I ask Jade.

"No..." Her eyes dart down from where I know her quest message would be, and she returns my puzzled look. She looks down at the silent, dark-haired NPC who has been clinging to Jade's leg since the moment the second bandit mob was defeated.

"Are you sure? You can't just pick up quests, you know?" I interrogate her further, despite the fact that I know she's telling the truth. The thing is, in Sword Art Online, it's impossible to pick up quests without going through the correct verbal options first. It's a basic, one or two command system that usually is compromised of just asking what's wrong, and then accepting the quest, but it must _always _be done to receive a quest.

Until now, apparently.

"Maybe it's just gone all weird because of your Orange status..."

"No, it can't be that" I reply. "What happens for Orange players is that the NPCs simply refuse to let us take certain quests, but that only comes after we ask them if they require assistance. We skip no steps..." I know this, much to my disdain, from personal experience. I sat through an hour of this old and obese villager on the 20th floor's life story just to get turned down when I offered to help him find his grandfather's sword. It gives quite a bitter feeling: to be turned away even by the programs in this game.

"But I didn't say anything! You were the idiot who jumped into the fight in the first place. You were with me the entire time, you know that I didn't activate it!" Jade's getting a little bit frustrated, and I can't blame her. When something doesn't make sense in a system which your life depends on, it gives you a lot of reasons to worry. Quests should never automatically assign unless it's an area event, or...

"Jade, start the quest. Do it."

"What?" she seems shocked at my sudden change from confusion to confidence.

"Just do it, trust me."

Jade looks down at the female NPC, who is still clinging to her leg like a small child would hold onto their mother. Jade looks up at me one time, her face a mix of _Do I have to?_ and then _Really?_, but when I nod, she sighs deeply and starts the regular procedure.

"What can I help you with?" Jade's voice is monotone, as all players must be when dealing with NPCs. Programs tend not to grasp emotion too well.

The NPC springs up from her resting place in the snow, apparently energized by this very question. She smiles wide, and then spreads her arms as if she's about to begin a long speech...

_Oh god, here we go again._

I hear Jade sigh from next to me, and I feel her pain. The one thing I miss from the old style RPGs was the fact you could just skip over the back story and get straight to the objectives, but due to voice acting this is impossible in SAO.

After what seems like an eternity, the NPC finally begins her speech.

"I thank you, brave soul, for saving me in my time of need!" she bows low to Jade, who doesn't even bother reacting to this. Players never take NPCs praises too seriously, as they are always excessively happy and cheerful, but perhaps that's only the general belief because we're in a death game instead of a regular RPG. "I was in dire straits, indeed, until your heroics saved my precious life. It was very courageous of you to step between those horrid Bandits and I, and it is my duty to repay you in any way I can."

At this, Jade's eyebrow twitches upwards slightly. Apparently even someone as cold as her is intrigued by rewards. She nods briefly as the NPC rambles on about how grateful she is, and I start to shuffle my feet in the snow to avoid falling asleep.

"What I do not understand, though, is why you'd bring such a criminal with you? He truly seems unpleasant, does he not?" the NPC says.

_Huh?_

I hear Jade let out a slight gasp at these words, and I took stand in shock. A quest giving NPC is not supposed to be that personal, ever, but at this point I'm getting the feeling my original hunch on what kind of quest this was may be correct. Besides, Gender and Status are inbuilt in the system and even NPCs can detect it, making it likely this is just regular dialogue.

"However, he assisted you in defeating those bandits, so I will give my re-payement to you in the form of a chance." The NPC girl spins on her feet, and prancing merrily through the snow. "You see, my father is the lord of Sand Stone Palace, on the 43rd floor..."

"Yes, and what of him?" I can't help it, the mention of a chance, whatever it may be for, got me interested. The NPC girl ignores me completely, as what I just asked was not a tangible command for this sort of situation. Thankfully, my question is answered by itself.

"Every year, he looks over his vast kingdom and gives his pardon to the one man or woman most deserving of one inside his lands! It is a ritual of renewal, of re-birth! It is part of our culture as a people! As my thanks, you are all invited to join us there!"

My jaw drops, Jade's mouth is in a little shocked o, but I'm in awe.

_A pardon? She can't possibly mean..._

"Well, see you on the 43rd floor, and thank you once again!"

Before I can ask for further explanation, the NPC turns around and vanishes through a corridor that had appeared there only a second beforehand. I'm left standing in the snow, my jaw lower than it had ever been before, and the sword that I've been holding tightly in my hands feels loose and heavy. Beside me, I hear someone yawn, Jade.

"Well, whatever, I'm probably never going to finish this quest. Let's go, Klaes." She turns around and starts walking towards the gate to the dungeon, but I don't care. This pardon the quest spoke of may or may not be what I think it is, but it's worth a shot. Jade can do whatever she wants with the quest for all I ca-

Suddenly, I look up at the top right of my screen. The quest received message is long gone, but I still remember what it said. A feeling of dread washes over my body.

_Shit, not good._

"Wait!" I catch up with her in a matter of a seconds, making sure to stop a few steps behind her.

"Hmm?" She keeps walking towards the dungeon doors, but she acknowledges that she heard me with a slight nod.

"Look, I'm sorry..."

_No, I'm not. I need this._  
Jade turns to me, confused.  
I swallow hard and spit out the rest of the words

"You can't just ignore this quest. I can't allow you to. Hell, I _won't_ allow you to."

Jade's eyes widen in a peculiar mix of anger and shock. She grabs me by the collar, but as I am about a half foot taller than her, the intimidation effect it was supposed to have is lost. Seemingly unaware of this fact, she brings her face within inches of mine, and her emerald eyes dig into my very being. With the harshest tone she's used since I met her, she makes a cold, and unfortunately, true statement "I can do whatever I want."

"Look, she mentioned a pardon..."

"And why would I care about a pardon? I'm not an orange player like you are, I haven't hurt other players for my benefit, have I? Do the quest by yourself..."

"You know I didn't get the quest, I need you to help me with this..."

_Please._

"You know what? Find another green player to use to complete the quest. It's really not my problem if you can finish it or not. I'll get through the dungeon to the next floor alone, you've dragged me into enough fights today."

"Shit, Jade, I'm begging you here, c'mon!" I can't hep but let my desperation slip into my voice. She turns her back to me and begins to walk away. In a moment even I can't fully explain, my exasperation, frustration, and self-pity push aside all my dignity and launch my arm forward before I can stop myself. I grab Jade's hand, and she freezes in place. I bow my head as she turns to face me.

"Please... I promise you that as soon as I can do this quest without your help, I will, but I need you to get to the next part of it for now..."

She still doesn't look at all convinced.

"I know you hate us Orange players a lot;I don't blame you, but I saved your life back in that forest." I see Jade's eyebrows go into a frown, but I talk quickly to stop her from cutting me off with a retort that would protect her pride. "I'm asking you to do this for me."

When I raise my eyes back up from the snow, I see that she's staring straight at me with a penetrating glare, her eyes trying to find out if what I am saying is true.

Her glare warms up a little, and a smirk finds its way onto her face. For a moment, as Jade's emerald eyes fill with warmth, I am overcome with joy at the sight of genuine kindness and charity, and an amazing feelings digs its way to under my skin, running through my body in an spectacular wave of joy. Unfortunately, this wave crashes on the shore almost instantly.

"What's in it for me?"

_Oh, of course, why did I even for a second believe she was going to do this out of kindness and good spirit?_

I sigh heavily. Jade is staring me down, eagerly awaiting my response.

"I'll pay for all expenses during the trip: food, armor repairs, lodging, and also..."

"And also what?"

"If there's another quest reward apart from the pardon, or if the pardon isn't what I hope it is, you get it. Deal?"

"Deal." She reaches out her left hand, as her sword is still drawn, and I reach out my left hand. My heavy gauntlet grasps her hand. I can't help but smile at her as we seal the deal, despite the terms which it entails and the method she used to acquire those terms. Jade smiles back, which is not too surprising considering she will have all her expenses paid for at least two weeks. In this moment, on this snowy field of Aincrad, I make a deal that will unintentionally and unknowingly change the course of my life here in Sword Art Online.

We let go of each other's hands, and Jade suddenly puts on a evil grin.

_Uh-oh, I don't like this one bit.  
_  
"To celebrate our new business partnership..."

_Business partnership? You used the fact that you may have the only way out of the mess I'm in to extort as much benefits from me as possible, you crook._

"I believe the first thing we should do..."

_The first thing you should pay for..._

"Is dinner and lodging in the town nearest to us! I've heard the dessert here is particularly good, and it's too late to start on the dungeon either way!" Jade spins around, obviously merry and excited about the fact she'll be completely free of expenses, at my expense. She begins prancing towards the town before I can stop her.

"Jade."

She is whistling as she prances along towards the town, her long blonde hair behind her flowing in a far too perfect manner. If she wasn't such a absent-minded idiot, I could appreciate her beauty far more.

"Jade!"

"Yea, yea." she starts walking a few steps ahead of me, and despite my best efforts to stop her without having to be blunt, she keeps on moving. The town is now within sight, and I feel a horrible feeling surface in my gut. I don't want to crush this girl silly little fantasy so brutally, but...

_No choice, and you save money too._

I stop walking, planting my feet hard in the snow, and take a deep breath.

"JADE!"

She finally stops and turns around

"What?" she snaps back at me, obviously irritated by the fact I killed her mood.

"Where the hell are you going?" I ask her.

"Into town, obviously."

_For someone so condescending, she's somewhat oblivious to the most obvious of issues._

"Just prancing into town, right?

"And what of it, Klaes? You expect me to starve to death."

_She's still not getting it._

I swear under my breath and look to the side sheepishly. Without saying a word, I bow my head and point up above my head, my index finger pointing to the approximate location of my cursor.

"Oh...right. Orange..."

"Yeah..."

"Sorry, I forgot" Jade bows her head a little, and I'm taken off guard by this gesture.

"It's fine. C'mon, let's go, I know a place that accepts orange players not too far from here."

As Jade follows silently, I ponder her apology.  
_Actually...I wouldn't mind if people forgot I was orange more often._

* * *

Well, new chapter is FINALLY up, after some major delays, and delays, and delays. Personal life gets in the way sometimes, and there's nothing much you can do about it. Reading this over again, I'm probably going to do some major, major editing on this chapter and all the previous ones too. The next week or so will mainly just be me reading over everything and fixing mistakes I made, which I catch the majority of before publishing but a few slip few. This computer and keyboard are quite shite, so sometimes a word gets completely omitted or just jumbled up, my apologies for that.

In other things: I realize this chapter was really dialogue heavy, but it's a necessary evil. The upcoming chapters will go back to a more action/narration focus, but with a bit more dialogue included as Jade is now a more important part of the storyline.

Reviews are welcome, both positive and negative. Even I'm happy to admit this isn't my best chapter, but it's out of the way and it's set the base for the upcoming arc so there won't be another chapter like this one for at least 10-20k words.

**Edit:**

Once again, Jack Falconer was kind enough to proof-read this chapter. It should read a lot smoother now, and I'm happy to say that help from readers is seriously improving this FF. If anyone has any feedback to give, feel free, and once again thanks to JF for taking the time to check over these chapters.


	7. Chapter 6: Catch

**Chapter 6: Catch**

"Uh...where are we?" Jade looks somewhat shocked at the site of the sleeping quarters I have found. We are currently standing in the middle of an absurdly cold snow storm, staring at a building made of stones and bricks with a relatively small doorway. From the outside, we can see a very inviting fireplace crackling inside a living room.

"A house, obviously" I reply as I open the door.

Jade steps through, and gasps at the sight of the home. It looks straight out of Nordic tales, with rugs and bearskins hanging from the walls, and a friendly atmosphere in the air that is so strong its intoxicating. An old and bearded man-an NPC, according to his cursor- approaches us with a huge smile on his face. I smile back at him, pleased that this type of NPC does not read my cursor type, and that to this certain chunk of data I am a bit more than worthless.

"Hello. I'd like to pay for the upper floor, please." I say this in a monotone and clear voice, so that the system will easily pick up my command. The NPC smiles even brighter at the offer of money.

"That would be 300 col, sir." the NPC asks in a convincingly human tone.

Hmm, pretty cheap, actually.  
_The only thing real difference between NPCs and players is that NPCs don't rip me off_  
The image of Argo enters my head briefly for whatever reason.

I happily make the transaction and begin walking up the stairs. I am halfway up them when I realize Jade is not following me, so I spin around to see her standing in the doorway, her mouth still agape.

"Jade, are you coming?" I ask.

"How much was this place?" she answers my question with a question, which is the sure sign of a very, very irritating individual.

"300, now c'mon."

Jade follows, still staring at the place like it's made of gold, begins to trudge up the stairs behind me.

_What's up with her, this place isn't even that great..._

I open the door to the second floor with the "Key" Item the NPC gave me, and set it so party members and friends(hah, not likely) can enter. Then, I push the door open and step through. Two large beds, a bathroom, and a small kitchen, exactly as Argo had said. I hate to admit it, but that informant was spot on with her info on this floor, except for the whole Epic Quest thing, but I get the feeling this isn't a regular occurrence.

_Speaking of irregularities, why is it so quiet?_  
I feel a sudden missing feeling, as if something is wrong with the very physics which drive all worlds. The string theory of the real world and the data of this world must be flawed, that is the feeling I get, but no matter how hard I try I can't pinpoint the source of this feeling on uneasiness.

_Oh wait, that's it_

"Jade, why have you gone so quiet?"

Jade is staring at room in much the same a shell-shocked soldier would look at no-man's land, a state of pure and complete horror and awe.

"H-how much did this house cost?" she asks that materialistic question again.

"I told you, this is all 300" I answer the question again. We sit down on opposite beds, facing one and other from across the room. She looks around at the furnishings, and then says something absurd.

"300 Mega-col? Isn't that a bi-"

"No, 300 col."

_You think I'd pay that much for you?_

"You bought the entire house for 300 col?!"

Now, it's my turn to let my jaw drop. Today is the night of November 4th, 2023, nearly a year since the game started, and she still doesn't know about this system?

"No...I rented it.".._obviously_.

"You can rent houses?" another stupid question from Jade.

"You're kidding, right? Everyone knows you can rent parts of NPC houses."

"Well, _excuse _me for not knowing that you could rent little huts far, far away from civilization."

_Wow, did she just attempt to play it off like that?_

"Oh don't even try it, the look on your face when you entered this house was enough to tell you loved this place. You've probably been staying in Inns since day 1, haven't you?"

"Yes, bu-"

For once, I'm the one that cuts her off.  
"Ah, beginners" I sigh deeply as I say this, much in the same way a wise man would sigh at a child's naivety.

This turning of tables does not please Jade in the slightest, and her face turns into a menacing, irritated frown.

"Who are you calling a beginner?!" her face screams indignation as she slips those words out in her anger

"Perhaps the girl who fell for the world's most obvious trap and had to be saved by a Orange?"

"Gah, well I'm sorry I had to decency to step in to save that girl."

_Nah, don't apologize for being willing to save others_.

I laugh at her reddened face, which is now a mix of embarrassment over the situation I found her in and rage over the crap I'm giving her for it. However, before I can say anything else, her face becomes slightly serious, and she tilts her head sideways. Her pretty lips open slightly as she asks me a very, very serious question in a soft and shy tone completely uncharacteristic of her usual self.

"Why did you jump in to save me?"

I immediately tense up. That moment in the fields comes back to my mind, my hand grabbing the Heaven Splitter, my feet winding into place almost by themselves, the fact that I was going to just walk away. A thousand excuses enter my mind, but in the end I bow my head down, and take a deep breath.

_Ah, screw it._

"I wasn't planning to, actually... I just jumped in because..."

Jade leans forwards towards me, and even though we are feet away I can feel her gaze questioning my every move. After what seems like ages, I manage to continue.

"You were humming a melody tha-that a friend of mine used to sing a lot. Every day before she went to sleep, actually."

"Oh... that..." Jade smiles "My mother taught me it when I was young, I suppose it just kinda stuck." Suddenly, she giggles, "so music is what moves White Knight Klaes, eh?" she grins at me, and I feel my face redden with shame.

"Ugh..." I cannot find words to retaliate before it is too late, and Jade asks the next logical question.

"So, this friend of yours, is she in SAO?"  
_Dammit, why did you have to ask that?  
_  
I bow my head down lower so she cannot see my eyes getting murkier by the second.

"She used to be." Is all I say.

The happy mood the room was in is killed in the instant.

"Well, goodnight" I say as I flip into my bead, and with a swipe of my hand,t the lights flick off. I lie there for a few minutes in the darkness, contemplating whether I should die into a world of nightmares again or just stay awake in this warm room. About five minutes after the lights went off, I hear Jade's voice-soft, but in the same certain tone as always-reach out to me across the room.

"Goodnight, Klaes."

For this first time in months, the words of another person allow me to sleep.

* * *

The next day, we find ourselves standing once again standing at the entrance to the 40th floor main "dungeon". I am back in my gear, the gauntlet on my hand feeling heavy as ever, and so is Jade, who is standing with the same proud stance as always to my left. I look up at the huge tower above us, open my status and check the time. [11:02AM, November 5th, 2023.] I can't help but sigh deeply.

"What?" Jade asks.

"Oh, nothing." I reply.  
_Not worth fighting about._

When Jade woke up this morning, around two hours after I did, I discovered two things very quickly. Firstly, she wasn't going to question me further about what I said last night, which is a blessing. The second discovery, however, was a far less fortunate one: _never_ in my life have I met someone who is _not_ a morning person to such an extreme. We had agreed to head off at around 8:30, so we could be taking the first steps in making it through the dungeon by around 9:30AM.

Things didn't exactly go to plan. Jade woke up in a foul mood, with messy hair, and to make matters worse: it took me 15 minutes to shake her awake. I was already fully geared up and ready to move, but she-_somehow_-in a world where changing was the equivalent of hitting a few buttons and showering was pretty pointless, managed to take about an hour to get ready. I was sitting down at the front porch of the fact, sulking at the fact that if I was solo I'd probably be already way on my way to the 41st by then. When Jade finally got downstairs, it had turned out she wanted food, so we had to go back inside the house and eat food that I brought from the NPC family. To my despair, breakfast alone cost almost as much as the room had. When her highness was finally satisfied, she decided we could leave, and so we started the long walk to the tower at around 10, ages after the appointed timee.

Now, we're finally at the tower, and I'm dreading the fact that if we want to reach the front-line any time soon, we'll have to clear the next floors dungeon through tonight.  
_This is why I hate parties..._

Jade seems content though, and completely and utterly oblivious to my woes. She smiles brightly, draws her sword, and beams at me. Despite me efforts to be sulky and angry, I do lighten up a little at the sight of her smile, despite the fact that behind the beauty lies a vicious creature.

"Right, let's go." After what feels like a eternity, I finally push the doors open and step into the first level of the dungeon, ready to fight my way up to the long-cleared boss room and scale the stairs to the next room. Jade follows in at my side, and we begin a light jog towards where our maps tell us the first safe room would be, avoiding monster spawn locations as much as we can.

The cave like tower is as cold as the outside, and freezing cold water is dripping from the walls and ceiling. There are a few icicles hanging above us, but the slight patches of ice that cover the ground prove to be far more irritating as far as navigation goes.

As our aim is to get to the next floor, and not to train or explore, making it through this dungeon will take us a lot less time than regular parties would, but we cannot simply ignore the monsters. If too many of them start following us and we don't take care of them, they'll stack on us and we'll die. With this in mind, we slide to a stop right before the first safe zone entrance, looking down at a long hallway before it. A common theme in these dungeons is absurdly difficult passages right before safety. This corridor's floor is covered with a thick layer of ice, over a hundred yards of slippery ground, and before Jade takes a step onto it, I stretch my arm out to stop her.

"Wait."

I open the information I have on this floors dungeon, and I am pleased to find the entry I needed.

"_Although most of the dungeon is relatively easy, the corridor leading to the first safe zone is deceptively hard, and spawns a lot of mid level Snow Statue(Level 30) at an absurdly fast rate. This makes it a great place for power levelling, but a potentially fatal one if you get hit by a powerful enough Sword Skill."  
_  
I silently thank the information brokers of SAO before I look back up at Jade, who's waiting for my explanation as to why we're stopped.

"This area has a very high spawn rate, follow my lead and switch frequently, we have to rush for the safe zone, ok?" This plan isn't perfect, but she nods, indicating she understands.

"Sure, but try not to be left behind, because I probably won't go back to save you." Jade replies in her usual cold and casual tone.

"I'm aware. Ready?" I ignore the cruelty, for the sake of co-operation.

"Yes... but..." for whatever reason, she doesn't finish answering the question.

"Yeah?" out of curiosity, I pursue this topic.

"If I get more kills, you tell me what the gauntlet is for." She points at my left hand, a certain gleam in her eye. I look down at the dark blue gauntlet that clads my fingers, and I laugh.

"Sure you're on, but if I win; you'll pay for your own food from now on."

Jade snorts at the notion she could possibly lose.  
"Deal, let's get this started."

"5..."  
We sync our countdowns.  
"4..."  
Our swords make metallic noises as we once again draw them out of their sheaths.  
"3..."  
I step slightly in front of Jade, and get into a low "Rage Spike" stance, readying my sword skill.  
"2..."  
Jade steps in behind me, ready for the upcoming mayhem.  
"1..."  
We both tense up like coils ready to explode, and then...

"GO!" we both yell simultaneously as I kick off with my back foot, launching me into a rage spike. I slide across the ice, my feet dragging as my outstretched arm remains forward. As I had expected, the ice makes me slide further, extending my charge type skill by a whole foot. Out of pure luck, one of the 6 foot tall Snow Statues native to this area spawns directly into the range of my attack, and he shatters into pieces. I try slowing down after taking down this first target, but I just keep on sliding, and as the next few spawn around me a sense of dread washes over me.

_Shit_.

The cooldown on my ability doesn't give me time to react as the Snow Statue in front of me brings his halberd down towards me, I brace myself from a heavy hit when..

*CLANG* Jade deflects the halberd with a vertical, spinning to grab my hand, and throw me forward across the ice. I slice the halberd wielder as I pass by, destroying it instantly.

"Use the momentum!" I hear her yell. I slide forward at an incredible speed to the next target, a sword wielding statue with half of its head missing. The mob swings the blade down at me, but this time I parry it with a horizontal, and I feel Jade fly past me as her blade finds its target in the centre of the statue. We do not stop, both activating charge skills to give ourselves more speed as we zoom across the ice. I spin on my feet, watching the gleaming steel of a Snow Statue's blade pass by my body by inches before I smack it with a Meteor Break, sending it flying into a few of its companions.

_These monsters are easy to kill, but..._

Another five spawn in behind the next batch we can see, behind us, we can hear even more spawning into the corridor. I look at Jade, and I can see slight worry on her face. We can do this, but we need to do it fast, as there is still another 50 yards between us and the exit

"Don't stop for an instant, just keep going." I re-assure her.

"Okay. Ready, set, go!" Jade howls a battle-cry as she activates a charge skill, slicing straight through the first mob. I follow suit with a Sonic Leap, which propels me past the blonde swords-woman and places the Heaven Splitter in the centre of another Statue's head. Before the light blue polygons of my target even disappear, Jade is sliding past me across the ice, her sword glowing a dark green. I follow behind her, thanking the AGI skill that is allowing me to keep my balance on this ice, and watch as the next few statues are skilfully dispatched by her.

Using the high speed we have gotten from low friction ice, we wind our way past each-other, stabbing, slicing, and smashing any target that comes in our way. We spin around one and other, parrying, switching, and slicing without taking a second to slow down or stop. The spawns get more and more dense as we slide through the army of mobs in front of us, but the safe zone room banner is within 20 yards from us. I dodge past the blow of another statue and decapitate the next one, allowing Jade to sprint past as she brings her sword down in a brutal Slant which obliterates yet another snowy enemy. To my horror, she missteps on the ice, and in that split second in which she loses her balance, I see a sword coming down in a graceful arc towards her neck. Without even thinking, I outstretch my left hand and reveal a combat secret I have hidden for ages.

I _catch _the sword with my left hand, it chips my heavy metal gauntlet, and I wince slightly as my HP decreases by a percentile or two, but then I smash the statue away with an uppercut delivered by the blade in my right hand.

Before Jade can even react to what just happened, and before I really think about what I'm doing, I sheath the Heaven Splitter, grab her by the waist to drag her close, and then use the a highly powerful Martial Arts shoulder tackle skill to bowl my way through the last statues. We slip on the ice on the last step, and tumble into the safe area, sliding into the wall at the other end of the porcelain white room.

* * *

**Continued in next chapter**

I've edited the first two chapters and removed many of the mistakes, it's difficult to write whilst also editing previous ones, but I'm about 50% of the way through going over all the old chapters.

Once again, apologies for the somewhat sporadic updates. My personal life is going through a somewhat turbulent patch, and if I write while I'm pissed off Living Orange will end with Jade stabbing Klaes in the face for no reason whatsoever, and then Aincrad exploding because Cardinal crashes with everyone inside dying a horrible death. As I'd rather not butcher this FF and canon simultaneously, I'm only writing when I'm calmed down. That is why it is taking so long.

In other news: within a fortnight expect the next chapter, the development with the whole gauntlet thing will be explained, although I'm pretty sure you guys can figure out how Klaes did what he did if you think about it hard enough.

Thanks for reading, and see you all next chapter!


	8. Chapter 7: Trust and Truth

**Chapter 7: Trust and Truth**

Jade stares at me as if I am some sort of strange species of lizard as she tilts her head to the side, staring at me in sheer curiosity. My back is still up against the wall which I slid into when we came crashing messily out of that hellish corridor, and the fact that Jade has not yet pushed herself away from me is making it harder for me to breathe. I feel uncomfortable because of how close her face is to mine, but at the same time exhilarated.

Jade's beautiful emerald eyes dig into my soul from a few inches away, sending shivers up my spine and making my right hand curl up into a fist to stop myself from shaking. Her elegantly armoured back is arced; she is hovering a few inches away from me with her hands placed carefully on the ground to either side of me, and as a final touch her beautiful dirty blonde hair is draped seductively over her shoulder. Slowly, surely, she opens her perfect lips to speak and the world slows to a crawl in the seconds before she releases her thoughts to me.

Despite myself, a fantasy appears in my mind  
"_Klaes, thank you so much for saving me!", are those the words she says now? Am I finally thanked for the countless times I have helped her? Is this what they call "warmth"?_

"What the FUCK was that?" the familiar cold, irritated tone exits those perfect lips as they spew vulgarity.

The little fledging I call my "dreams and fantasies" is kicked out its comfortable nest in my mind and falls to its bloody end in the fiery pit known as _reality._The friendlier side of my conscience sighs deeply in frustration, but at the same time I'm relieved that I'm still alive, as this is obviously reality.

_Well, Virtual reality, if you get technical._

"Did you just _catch _that sword?" Jade barrages me with another question, apparently unaware of my distress. Because of her demanding tone and perhaps her proximity, I answer honestly before I can stop myself.

"Erm, yeah." I bite my tounge, but the words have already hopped ship and been said, and I cannot withdraw them now.

Jade snatches my left arm off the ground, lifts it up, and begins to inspect it much in the same way a morgue warden would examine a particularly disgusting corpse, namely: I don't like doing this, but I don't have a choice.

"You still have your hand."

"Wow, really? I hadn't noticed." I drench every word in sarcasm as I reply.

Her face scrunches up in a frown. "Don't try dodging this. You're hiding something. What is it, a unique skill? Extra, perhaps, or a mix of already known skills? Tell me now!" Jade practically spits in my face as she shoots phrases out.

"It's..."

_Shit, I can't just not tell her._

"It's not a skill at all..." a honest answer.

"What? Don't play around with me, Klaes, you lobbed that fatass' hand off just a few days ago. I _know _about the mutilation effect."

"I'm serious...it's got nothing to do with skills."

"Then how?"

The answer to that question, is in fact quite simple. It really comes down to understanding two things about Sword Art Online. Firstly, severed limbs will reconstruct when the player reaches full health again. Secondly, one must understand how the armor types in this game work, particularly the Pierce and Sever effects in contrast to armor types. Heavy armor in particular takes a lot to break through, and despite the fact that the user takes damage it is very difficult to get past the armor.

With this knowledge and a certain level of curiosity, combined with childhood memories of kendo and wishing that "_I could just catch the damn sword_" lead to some experimenting on my part. It took some practice and a decent amount of close calls, but I eventually found out that I could effectively catch with a heavy metal gauntlet; as long as I could take the damage I'd be fine. This method proved somewhat useless against monsters, who would just act as if you had trapped their blade in between another weapon, but against players this was surprisingly effective. I stopped a lot of my recent encounters from becoming deadly simply by snatching blades away. Of course, I didn't want to share this secret with too many, however...

"You're kidding..." is all she says when I finish explaining.

"Nope, I'm dead serious."

"You're insane." Her comment offends me a little.

_Do not question my ingenuity!_

"I'm a genius." I say, gleaming with confidence and pride.

Jade tilts her head back and laughs out loud, crushing my self esteem instantly.

"Oh please, only a psychopath would think up of an idea like that."

"How is my fight style in any way psychotic?" I ask, indignant.

"Ohhh geeee, I don't know, let me see," Jade mocks my voice now, making herself sound rougher. "I suppose not that many people go '_Hey, look at that deadly blade swinging towards me. You know what'd be a great idea? I'll catch it! Yeah, that's a great idea!'"_

"My 'great idea' saved your life, mind you."

"Details, details!" Jade waves her hand casually, as if swatting away my words. She then drags down a window and spawns a few lunches that clatter as they drop onto the floor. Eager and tired from the corridor battle, I reach my hand out towards one of the two bags. Inches away, I stop myself.  
_Wait..._  
I look up at Jade, who is staring at me in slight bemusement. I then draw my eyes over her head, to where her green cursor is. I suddenly feel the orange cursor burning above me, and I hesitate, drawing my hand back slightly.

"The lunch _is _for you, you idiot." Jade's grins at me as she takes a bite out of her sandwich, indicating with her free hand to the bag in front of me.

I barely have time to say "~thank-you-very-much!" before I dig into the bag, tearing the brown paper open to feast on the riches inside. The system-generated flavours that flood my mind are slightly strange and unfamiliar, as all food in SAO is, but it is still tasty. I devour my sandwich without saying another word, swallowing the last piece in a matter of milliseconds.

When I look back up, Jade is halfway through her sandwich and staring at me in disbelief. Despite myself, I feel my cheeks redden slightly due to my horrible manners.

"Eh...so-"

Before I can start apologizing Jade's sweet laughter fills the safe room, the melody of her voice a shred of light in the 41st floor dungeon.

_Well, I'm glad she's not offended._

Jade wipes her mouth as soon as she calms herself down and then smiles at me. Once again, I take note of her absurd beauty. Her face a display of feminine features and her hair a dark gold, the two emerald eyes in front of me could easily be those of an angel. I dismiss this thought before she can notice it.

"You know, Klaes..."

"Yeah?" I ask

"There's more to you than a pathetic criminal player!" Jade smiles brightly as she says this.

"Thanks, I guess..."

"You also hide stuff from your party members and have _terrible _manners to boot!"

_This girl..._

I smack my head and sigh deeply, staring down at the floor. Jade takes the last bite of her sandwich and then stands up again.

"Right! Let's go!" She beams in joy as she prepares herself for the rest of the climb.

_Where does she get so much energy?_

"Yeah, yeah...give me a second" I make a quick check of my map, and then close my window down. To my surprise, a delicate hand covered in a light blue fingerless glove is in front of my eyes. The owner of said hand has a slight grin plastered on her face.

_What is she up to?_

"C'mon, you're supposed to be the one getting me through this floor, remember?" her palm is still outstretched, ready for me to take it. For one last time, I look above her at the green cursor suspended over her head.

_Screw it._

"Sure, I'll lead the way." I grab her hand, and she pulls me up. I straighten up less than a foot away from her and look down at Jade, as she is slightly shorter than me. "The boss room is still a few sub-floors up, so try not to get lost." I try to pat her on the head and get a half broken finger in return, but we soon start the climb up to the 42nd floor.

* * *

Jade dispatches the last of the mobs as we walk towards the boss room. It's been two hours since we've entered the dungeon, but due to all the mapping data we have we've made quick progress. In the distance, I can see the huge doors to the boss room, and I push onward with Jade by my side.

As we step into the gigantic boss room, I get a serious sense of nostalgia. The space, the lights on the sides, this room is a room of the past. In the centre of a room a player-likely from the clearing group-has set up a sign with the text "No deaths!" written on it. I can't help but smile when I remember how much clearing changed after the 25th floor.

"Wow..." Jade's voice is soft from next to me.

"What, never seen a boss room before?"

"Uh... no. I've always used the gates.." Jade replies.

This comes as a shock to me.

_Someone with her skill has never front-lined, why?_

"Wait, you've never been in a clearing fight?"

"No. Have you?"

I can't help but brag. "Yeah, a bunch. I was front-lining since floor one, and went on until the 30s range of floors before I stopped."

"Really?" Jade asks, her voice full of excitement and curiosity

I'm glad to see her like this, for once, so I carry on. "Yeah, the front-liners are really great people. The guy to girl ratio is a bit skewed, though..."

"Why did you stop?" a stupid question from Jade.

I grimace, and point up at where I know my orange cursor is.

"Oh... right." Jade sounds guilty now.

We keep walking towards the stairs to the next floor, our footsteps like raindrops on a roof. Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter... I hear Jade stop walking, and I turn around, worried.

"What's wrong?" I ask. She does not budge a inch, and her head is tilted down.

"Klaes, how did you get that orange cursor?"

_Oh crap_.

I think fast, and answer. "Tell you what, if we discover that the reward of the quest really is what I'm looking for, then I promise I'll tell you."

"...and if it isn't what you're looking for?"

"Then you'll never know." A cold, direct answer, but it's the best I can do.

Jade keeps her head bowing down, and I feel myself tense up for a potentially lethal explosion of anger and frustration. However, when she brings her face back into the light she's smiling once more. She tilts her head sideways in that familiar way. "Okay, but I get the feeling the quest will be what you need." She winks as she says the last phrase: "Otherwise, I might just beat it out of you."

I snort at her last comment. "Go ahead and try, punk"

We walk up the stairs and on towards the next floor. We step onto the ground of the 42nd on November 5th, at 3:02PM, and then begin walking to the nearest town. Suddenly, I remember something extremely important.

"Crap."

"What?" Jade asks.

"I almost forgot, I have to meet an informant on this floor."

"An informant that deals with Oranges? Is it about the quest we picked up?"

"Yeah... she'll talk to anyone for cash." _well, for a lot of cash, actually_. I grimace at the amount of times I've been ripped off.

"Who is the informant? I might know them."

"Oh, you definitely know her. She's the #1 informant."

"Ah, I see." Jade finally seems to understand. "You have enough money?"

"Yeah, maybe." At least, I hope I do. Information isn't cheap.

_Especially with Argo The Rat._

Wait a second...

I grin.

"Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"Back in that corridor, how many kills did you get?"

"Oh? I got about..." she cuts herself off mid sentence.

I smile evilly at her, knowing full well who got the most kills. Jade sighs, bows her head, and begins walking again. I follow, still smiling.

_She's paying for food tonight._


	9. Chapter 8: The News and New Helper(s)

**NOTE: READ THIS FIRST**  
Argo's capitalization of the last word is not a mistake. Baka-tsuki, the translation site I use, used the same style in "The Day Before" side story. For this reason, I amusing the same format.

* * *

**Chapter 8:The News and New Helper(s)**

"So, enjoying the food?"

Jade and I are still on the 42nd floor, in a small town called Yaer near the next dungeon. As there are no guards, very little players, and no safe zone boundaries in this village; this is a perfect place for a orange like myself to meet up with information brokers. Information brokers such as the wicked young woman with blue paint smeared on her face that is sitting in front of me.

"Ah of course, this food is delicious KlaeS."the girl accentuates the last word of every sentence strangely, as she always does. I watch in mild bemusement as Argo the rat, SAO's top information broker, smiles wickedly whilst she consumes the rabbit meat in front of her.

"Oh, I'm glad we picked a nice restaurant then. You can thank my friend over here for the food though" I give a little nod to Jade, smiling brightly at her. In return I get jabbed in the ribs by her unused fork.

_Still bitter about losing the bet, huh?_

"Well then thank you very much, girlY!" Argo swallows another huge piece of the "Rabbit Steak", a A-class and extremely expensive food item that is purchasable in this restaurant. I would normally never buy food this luxurious, especially not for a information broker, but I made a exception this time because Jade is paying for dinner tonight.

_I'm so glad I won._

Jade bows her head down. She did not buy expensive food for herself because, according to what she said she'd: "Rather starve and save some cash" than "eat like a spoiled brat to a huge expense".

_Her loss._

I wait patiently as Argo finishes the last piece of her food. The mischievous looking player sighs in satisfaction, licks her lips, and then puts her cutlery down. Suddenly, her face tenses up slightly and all hint of playfulness leaves her eyes. She straightens up her back and leans slightly towards me. With her familiar, business like tone, she speaks. "So, what does sir Klaes wish to knoW"

"I picked up a quest recently along with my companion here. She was assigned the quest and I wasn't;however, it's still a party objective. Additionally, the quest-giving NPC mentioned a form of 'redemption' at the end of the quest."

Argo tilts her hood back a little bit and smiles. I know from my many deals with her that at this very moment, she is thinking hard to find a bit of info she can make money off, and that her seemingly relaxed face is hiding a very intricate thought process behind it.

"I shall give you this information for free; the question you ask has an answer which is constlY"

_How kind of her to warn me._

"I'm ready to pay. How much?"

"Half a mega coL"

I can't stop myself from flinching slightly at this number.

_Half a mega...that's insane._

I'm about to start to bargain the price down when...

"What the hell?! What info could _possibly_ cost that much?" For the first time since Argo arrived, Jade speaks. She has been sitting here and sulking the entire time, but I'm not sure if I'm glad she spoke now. Argo, if she wished, could sell me out to numerous anti-orange brigades in a instant, so I'd rather not offend her.

Argo smiles at Jade's outburst and responds in a dry voice:"Ah! So it seems the girl has a voicE! What a surprisE!"

"Don't dodge my question: why so much?" Jade doesn't seem to be offput by Argo's demeanour, and continues to push.

"Fufufu..."Argo chuckles to herself. "Klaes-kun, and...Jade, was iT? What the two of you have to understand is that this is not just a simple quest, and that..."

"And that what?" I ask.

Argo winks and outstretch her open palm.

_Damnit_

I drop a pouch with a eight of a mega col into the sneaky rat's hands.

"That very few people have any knowledge of the true nature of this quest. I am fairly sure I'm the only information broker with anything on this quest. First of all, it's a [EVENT] quest."

"Whaaaat?" Jade and I both ask in confusion. EVENT type quests are usually a random mini-boss spawning near a town and a large group of players attacking it, never anything like this.

"Yes, an event quest. I'm fairly sure you two know where the EVENT is due to the quest objectives; however..."

_We don't know when the event triggers._

I dump another bag of 1/8th megacol into Argo's hand. She smiles and continues talking

"It's being refereed to as the "Legendary Quest" by many. It seems that it is the hardest quest discovered until now, and you two are the only party who have it active. Only one group may have it at once, and it will activate tomorrow."

"Wow... So, any idea what the rewards are." Jade seems curious all of a sudden.

"According to the information I received, it sounds like some sort of pardon for crimeS. Whether this works with orange or not is yet to be seeN...

Jade smiles and looks at me, as if that's confirmation.

_Wait._

"Where are you getting this info from?" I ask Argo.

Argo smiles and winks at me again.

I drop another few thousand col in bags into her hands.

"I have a friend who is a solo playeR. I will keep his name for his own safety purposes, but he managed to reach the quest start point by himselF. There are some very strict restrictions on the "starting conditions" of the quesT. Firstly, you must have at least one green player and one orange playeR. You must have 'saved a maiden' and you must be over level 40."

"Damn. Sounds like a tough one to break."

"YeA. However, you two already meet all of those conditions according to what you said in the message you sent me, the only issue would be..."

"What would it be?" I ask.

"Quite frankly," Argo shrugs as she says this, "you don't have enough people."

The air around us is dead quiet.

_Ah...crap._

It has been hard enough to find someone to follow me, and although Jade is only with me for the profit she will make out of this trip, she is already exceptional to have stayed. I cannot possibly find enough people to prove myself to on such a short notice, and besides... _I can't ask my fellow orange players..._

"There is a solution to your lack of fighters, thougH."

"Oh really?"

"YeS... It's quite simple actuallY" Argo pauses once more.

I drop another bag of money into her hands. She smiles wildly as the col enters her inventory.

"Let me join the two of yoU"

"WHAT?" Jade and I say in synchronization.

Argo leans back in her chair in smiles. "It's pretty straightforward: you need to get to the 43rd floor and acquire info on the quest, and I need a full documentation of this for my Complete Quest Walkthrough GuidebooK. It seems like a fair deal, doesn't iT?"

"Even so..." Jade starts to protest but loses her voice halfway through.

"Look Klaes, I know oranges don't feel comfortable around information brokers, but you don't really have a choicE. You've already figured out the other condition for this quest, correcT?

Jade throws me a confused glance, but I nod my head at her to confirm what Argo said.

"Yea...I've got a hunch. The quest is called '365 Aincradian Nights, which means..."

Jade catches on.

"It can only be activated..." she murmurs.

"CorrecT!" Argo exclaims! "It's an event type quest, and the only day you can go into the next phase of it iS-"

"To activate it on the anniversary of SAO's launch." Jade finishes Argo's sentence for her.

_The anniversary..._

Argo smiles at me as I think, obviously aware of what I've just realized.

"You have no choicE" the rat says. "You will never make it in time without me, and even if you do you won't be able to find the activation poinT. Do we have a deal, KlaeS?"

I look to Jade. She nods at me.

"Deal."

"OkaY! You can come out now guyS"

A wave of red floods the small pub. Bright red chest plates, headbands, and platelegs steam almost endlessly into our confined space, and I feel like their very presence is draining the air out of me and the life out of my body. In a matter of seconds, 11 heavily armored men are standing behind Argo. The rat has a wicked grin on her face; beside me I hear Jade slightly unsheathe her blade, and I instinctively do the same.

_Damnit, did Argo betray us?_

"Sheeeesh, you really think I would backstab yoU? Put that sword back in its sheath, you idioT." Argo looks at Jade and I like a disappointed mother glaring at her misbehaving children. I grimace and sheath my blade once more. Jade sighs deeply and does the same.

"Who the hell are these guys?" I ask. One of the men behind her flinches.

"Don't you recognize theM?" Argo looks amused at my ignorance. I look past her. Red armor, a white logo in the middle, I look up. Rough features, a large red and yellow headband, and a dark red hair.

_It couldn't be..._

"Furinkazan" Jade confirms what I was thinking.

The red-haired man, who I assume to be the leader, outstretches his hand to me. He is smiling, but for a split second his eyes flick to where my color cursor is and I see him flinch slightly.  
_  
This is crazy_.

The man forces the smile once again. "Nice to meet you, I'm Klein, the leader of Furikazan. We're going to be working together for a while."

I look at his outstretched arm, then at Argo. She's grinning at me. Jade has placed her face on the table and appears to have just given up. I breath out heavily, then grab his hand and shake it.

"My name's Klaes. Orange player, beater, and a man filled with guilt. I hope that answers all the questions your eyes were asking." I force a smile as I say this.

Klein's jaw drops, and I hear Jade swear under her breath next to me. I await a sword to cut me across the chest, or one of the man's guildmates to attack me, but nothing happens. Suddenly, a soft sound comes from behind the man. One of his guildmates is laughing.

_What?_

Like a infection, it spreads through the crowd of players, and now even Klein is laughing. I'm taken aback, and instinctively I move myself closer to Jade. Even Argo is laughing now. Klein wipes his face, stops laughing, and then speaks in a loud clear voice.

"We knew that already, and a whole lot more than that. We're helping you because Argo thinks you're worth helping." the warm aura Klein has does not fit his apperance.

"...pfft. You're helping fo the money, Klein, don't liE."

"Well, yes, that too."

Argo drops the half-mega col I gave her into his hands.

"This is your first payemenT" Argo says.

_Wow._

"Right then! Let's get drinking, shall we?" A member of Furikazan's voice rings out, and the guild cheers.

_This is going to be a long day_.

* * *

The back of my head smashes into the bed. From across the room, I also hear Jade crash onto her mattress. We both give out a huge sigh of relief as our sheets envelop us in peace and quiet.

"They _never _shut up." Jade whines from across the room.

We had spent the entire day with Furikazan and Argo discussing strategies and the quest. We picked up a lot of information, but Jade seemed to be sulking the entire time.

"You were really quiet, Jade. It was nice for a change."

"Oh, shut up."

I do.

The silence fills the room.

"...the quest sure sounds hard, huh?" Jade asks.

"Yeah..." we had been told that four players had already lost their lives trying to defeat the snow bandits that Jade and I had defeated, meaning this was a high end quest.

"I wonder if we'll all make it..."

"Jade." I sit up.

"Yes?" She sits up, taking her sheets with her to cover herself.

"You can leave, if you want to. This quest sounds dangerous and I've got a guild backing me up now, you shouldn't have to ri-"

In a blur Jade pounces out of her bed and lands in front of me, drawing her face a mere few inches away from mine. Like a tiger staring down at her prey, she bares her teeth.

"Oh no you don't! You said I'd come along, and I'm not going to let you cheat me out of free food and loot. We're paying the mercenaries, but all the loot still goes to _me_."

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry for saying that." I place my hand on her head and push her away slightly.

"Idiot. Thinking you could outwit me like that." Jade turns her face away slightly, and adopts a strange pose, her arm reaching over her stomach. Her...bare...stomach. I feel my face heat up.

"Jade."

"Yes...yes?" Jade practically whispers this in a soft voice. She still has her head turned away from me, and her hair is covering her eyes.

"Uhm..." _I'm going tomato red, gragh_. "You're in nothing but your bra and panties."

A jolt runs through Jade as if she had been shocked by electricity, and she starts to tremble slightly.

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask nervously. I can still feel the heat in my face.

Jade freezes up completely now, and then slowly turns her head towards me like a killer in a horror movie. Her eyes, two fiery balls of emerald hatred pierce into mine."

_Ohshi-_

"You were staring this entire time, weren't you?" Jade's voice shakes with anger as she draws her arms over her body to cover herself.

"No,no! It's just that..."

Jade's face is flushed red in a mix of humiliation and anger.

_How to put this_...

"It's hard not to..." I look to where her right arm is covering her chest. "...you're, eh. Let's say _well-endowed._"

Jade looks down at herself for a second, realizes what I just said, and her face goes supernova red.

**SLAP**

The entire left side of my face burns.

"IDIOT!" I hear Jade exclaim as she launches herself into her bed.

I gently rub the left side of my face with my hand, and then turn off the lights.

Before I fall asleep, I am sure I hear Jade rustling around in her bed.

* * *

Sorry for the extremely late release. Personal life fell somewhat into turmoil, and I ended up writing about ten different scenarios were everyone just dies. For all your sakes, as well as LOs, I stopped writing for a while until my mood improved.


	10. Ch 9: A Year in Aincrad, A Day In Hell

**Chapter 9: A Year In Aincrad, A Day In Hell.**

I wake to the monotonous, familiar sound of tiny bells chiming. My eyes venture out from under my covers, and across the room I see Jade hitting buttons in her inventory menu as she equips the white, light metal gear Klein and I brought for the day before. With her new short plate-skirt and slim chest-plate, I can't help but stare at the figure enveloped in a dim light from outside. It then strikes me just how dark the room is.

_...what time is it?_

I pull up my inventory window, and the ringing sound it generates as it opens makes Jade slowly turns her head towards me.

"You're awake." she states.

_Really? I hadn't noticed._

"No Jade, I'm afraid your eyes deceive you. I'm unconscious and dreaming, or at the very, least I wish I was." I reply grumpily.

The time displayed in a unforgiving plain font on my screen reads [4:00AM].

"Why are we awake so ear-" I cut myself off when I see the way that Jade is looking at me. Her nose is turned up, and her arms are crossed in front of her. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was a teacher staring down at a mischievous student.

"Well...you were saying?" Jade takes a step towards me as she speaks, and I suddenly sense a previously undetected aura of resentment radiating from her very figure. I, up until now, had no idea that such a feeling was possible inside Virtual Reality, but to my horror it is. The shock of this discovery mixed with Jade's terrifying demeanour frightens me into pulling my blanket up to my nose, as if a thin layer of cotton could protect me from my companion's wrath.

"What's wrong, Klaes? You were saying something, _weren't you?_" Jade's voice has lost its usual soft and sing-song tone and now resembles the sharpening of a million knives.

_Why is she so ill-tempered?_

For the life of me, I cannot remember what has vexed this woman so, and in a attempt to reconcile I quite foolishly decide to joke around with her.

"You're not a morning person, are you?" I grin like an idiot as these words escape my mouth and very quickly regret it.

Jade leaps up onto my bed, and a shining boot comes crashing down onto my stomach. I gasp in pain as Jade digs her heel into my skin, but luckily the damage is too superficial to drop my HP bar. I glance up at my attacker, and a shiver runs down my spine. If fury were to be captured in a single image, it would be appropriate to take a picture of Jade's face.

"Ahhh! JADE! JADE! STOP IT!"

"You _IDIOT!_ After what you did you don't even apologize?!"

"Apologize for wha-" I stop myself, but it's too late. Jade's eyebrow twitches, and I can do nothing but watch in terror as she begins to draw her blade. Luckily, it is at that very moment that I remember what happened the night before. A vivid image of Jade slapping me enters my mind; unfortunately, this memory is paired with a very accurate recollection of what she was wearing, and my face flushes up immediately.

At the sight of my crimson cheeks, Jade sheaths her light red blade back an inch into its scabbard, and leans her face down towards mine. Her foot is still pressing down hard onto me, but with the danger of instant death no longer present I relax a little.

"I'm sorry for..."

_Wait, what the hell am I apologizing for? She's the one that jumped out of her bed, and that wasn't my fault._

Now, in a normal situation, I would just apologize regularly and pretend I didn't take issue with it. However, this was Jade I was dealing with, and I'd rather mess with the girl who never thanked me for saving her than cave in so easily.

_This may cost me my life._

Jade nods her head. "Go on, go on, hurry up and say it already!" I'm not psychic, but it's easy enough to tell that's what she's thinking.

"I'm am truly and deeply sorry," I bow my head slightly as part of the act. "Sorry that your underwear does not match. Truly, it is a tragedy. I promise to buy you a matching pair as soon as possible." I grin wildly as her face reddens up, bracing myself the death I have chosen.

In a blur of dirty blonde hair and armour the colour of snow, Jade draws her blade and jumps down on me. Before I can move, she pounces, pinning me down by sitting on my lower stomach and causing me to cry out in pain as the full weight of her plate armour crashes down on me. She has her left hand grasping my neck, her right aiming her light red sword towards my nose. For the first time since the day I met her in the snow, I get to admire from close up the runic patterns of her sword, and the slightly jagged edges which accentuate both its menace and beauty. I cannot see Jade's facial expression under the curtain of her blonde hair that hides it, but I imagine it is one that resembles her blade. Two things: both equally beautiful and prepared to slit my throat open.

"Excuse..me...I don't think I heard you right, could you say that again?" Jade's words are doused in venom.

_Do I die laughing or apologize and live?_

I look up at the blonde. Even through her veil of darkened gold, I can feel her gaze piercing into my soul.

"Jade, I'm sorry about yesterday." Jade bows her head a little, and she lowers her blade. "I really, really didn't mean to stare, it's just that..."

Jade's blade returns to my neck.

_Ehhh... _I remember what happened last time I commented on her figure and deem it not a good idea to repeat the same mistake.

"I didn't realize until it was too late, okay?" Jade lowers her blade again.

"It was humiliating, you know?" Jade says, the softness in her voice returned. She lets go of my neck and straightens herself out again, sighing. Her face is still slightly blushed, but more of mild embarrassment than anger.

"Yeah, I know. My bad." I apologize once more, and Jade's face goes back to its normal indifferent state.

"Well, the others are waiting for us, shall we go?" Jade asks.

I put my hand on her waist to push her off and I open my mouth to state the obvious answer, but I don't have time to answer the question because before I can speak the door bursts open to reveal Klein and Argo standing in the doorway. Upon seeing Jade and I, Klein's jaw goes as wide as a boss door, and I'm sure Argo begins to giggle under her hood.

_What's up with their reactions?_

Then, it hits me. Here we are, Jade sitting atop my lower abdomen and her legs to either side of me. Her blade is hanging loosely at her side, and my hand is on her waist. Granted, there is a sheet between my body and hers, however...

"Wedidntmeantointrude!Sorry!" Klein fires out words like a machine gun and then slams the door shut hurriedly. Argo's laugh rings out from the other side.

_Oh, God of Misunderstandings._

Jade, much like a star would, reddens until she explodes.

* * *

"Corridor: Sand Stone Desert!"

The air shimmers as the corridor crystal activates, slightly blurring out all that lies behind its transparent gate. Klein takes a step toward the gateway and then turns to face the rest of us.

"All right, according to the information Argo gave us, we're about to step into the 43rd floor, about a half mile away from the city of Aradu. It's the only city we've encountered in Aincrad up until now that is not a safe zone, so be on your guard. Additionally, I recently received a message from a friend I have up on the front-line warning me about some kind of irregularity with the mobs. When we step in there, be ready for a fight." Klein's words, packed full with confidence ring out towards the other 13 players of the group. "Right. To Aradu, the Sand Stone City!"

"To Aradu!" the Furinkazan guild cheers wholeheartedly.

I look far to my left towards Argo and Jade, who are standing as far away from me as they possibly could be. After the misunderstanding this morning, Jade, who had just the other day taken ages to get ready, had somehow grabbed the rest of her gear and dashed out before I could stop her. I hadn't had a chance to speak with her since then, and I'd rather not help the rumours spread. They were bad enough already.

Klein turns around, draws his blade, and steps through the barrier. I follow suit, feeling the eyes of his entire guild digging into the back of my head, and my orange cursor. A chill breeze hits me as a I phase through the corridor, jumping instantly from the 42nd floor to the 43rd.

Behind me, twelve other sets of feet crunch onto the sand, and there is a small zap as the corridor closes behind us.

At [8:05AM], on November the 6th, year 2023, our merry band of quest-undertaking misfits and mercenaries arrive on the 43rd floor with all the likelihood of clearing my bad name. Just a few weeks ago, I was a solo player trudging up this giant castle called Aincrad, alone and stuck with orange status, having no intentions of having friends or guildmates apart from the bandits that I occasionally collaborated with.

Now, I'm backed by a large group of green players, who, although they don't trust me, are ready to work with me to re-set my status to green. Things have changed very quickly, and when I think about it, it was all because I jumped in to save Jade.

"Klaes, you're spacing out." Klein says.

_Oh, right. Name's not cleared yet._

"Yeah, sorry." I have no idea why I apologize, but Klein smiles. Before he turns away, I see him look for a millisecond up at my colour cursor. Normally, such a gesture would irritate me, but nothing can down my mood right now.

I look out at the vast floor in front of me. It is no traditional desert, large and jagged sand-stone cliffs dot the landscape, and I can see multiple lakes in the distance. The traditional sea of sand-dunes which you usually find in fantasy games is not present, at least not on this floor.

_So this is the front-line, huh?_

It seems the information Argo gave was correct. About half a mile away a gigantic, pale yellow wall marks the gateway of Aradu. Sand Stone City – aptly named – is tucked neatly inside a colossal crevice which cuts through a mountain of sand-coloured rock, the tip of which only seems to be a hundred feet from the roof of this floor. Behind the city, it is possible to see the obsidian tower which represents the climb up to the next floor. Unfortunately, this entire set up lies on top of another sand stone plateau, this one about 20 meters high and a quarter mile away from us. To reach the city walls, we'll first have to scale that.

_A longer walk than expected, huh?_

"The palace is around the centre of the city. We should head out now so we can reach it before 10." Argo yells out as she starts to march across the desert. Shrugging and nodding in agreement, Klein calls his guild into their marching positions.  
"Five-Five-One formation, march!"

The guild trots into two lines, tanks at the back, long-ranged fighters and damage-per-second based swordsmen in the middle, and Klein heading at the front.

_Hmm...what a strange strategy._

We begin the journey to the Sand-Stone City in three close but separated groups. On the far right is yours truly, a heavy hitting one-handed criminal player, in the middle is the mercenary group Furinkazan, and on the as-far-away-from-Klaes-as-possible left is Jade, who appears to be talking with Argo. With this set-up, and me in my lonely sector of the group, we begin the journey over the rocky outcrop of the 43rd floor.

Five minutes into the journey, I see the information broker of our group start to coast towards my side of the pack. Argo passes Furinkazan, and makes a beeline towards me. Before I can run into the midst of Furinkazan and start talking to Klein, she places herself happily by my side.

_There's only one thing a information broker could want..._

"Soooo, how'd you two meeT?" Argo asks.

_Predictable._

Instead of playing along, I go with the "cold and hostile" option in a attempt to shoo the Rat away.

"Why don't you just ask her about it?" I keep my voice flat.

"Because every time I do, she gets irritateD."

"I _wonder_ why?" my words are voids, empty of all compassion, interest and care. In this void, I throw in a bit of dryness and sarcasm.

"Aww, c'mon KlaeS. I am paying for Furinkazan, after alL."

My jaw practically hits the sand below my feet.

"You're doing WHAT?"

"Shhhh, I've told them you're the one who's sending them the cash, so keep quieT."

"But why?"

"Because I value information a lot more than money, and you do not have enough cash to pay them, correcT?" Argo's reasoning is, unfortunately, spot on. I don't have enough money, although I might have had just enough if it hadn't been for one unpredictably expensive factor – Jade – which has been dragging down my total cash by quite a bit. However, for a top information broker like Argo, a few mega-col means nothing if she could get the right information out of it.

"WelL?" The broker asks.

I groan in frustration.

_When she's cutting me a deal like this, I can't exactly refuse._

"What do you want to know?" I resign to my fate.

The information broker grins, the lines on her cheeks growing wider as she bares her teeth.

"Considering this is one of the few friends you've made inside the game, and for the sake of researcH..." _Don't do it_. I mentally try to stop the Rat from releasing the last words from her mouth, but alas mind control isn't a skill in Sword Art Online, so it doesn't work.

"I want to know everything, from the very starT." _Once again, predictable, Argo._

"Why would you need to know everything? Can't I just tell yo-"

"Everything. Because there might be pre-existing conditions you forget to mentioN." Argo states matter of factly.

"..." I'm lost for words.

"PleasE? I can't call it the Complete Quest Walkthrough Guide if it isn't completE."

"Okay...you win. About four days ago, I ran into a high level NPC on the 40th floor..." I begin to recount the events of the last few days in high detail.

* * *

[8:42AM, November 6th, 2023. Sand Stone Desert, 0.25 Miles away from Aradu.]

"and...yeah. That's pretty much it." I finish my story as I swing my arm up, grabbing the next rock and pulling myself up a few inches. The quest group is currently climbing the Sand Stone

"Ahhh, so it was a misunderstanding, just as Jade saiD. What a shamE." The Rat's ink whiskers tilt downwards with her cheeks as she bows her head in disappointment. The Rat, with her high AGI, is a few feet above me on the mountain side.

"How is that in any way dis – gurgh – disappointing?" I question the information broker whilst trying to climb, which results in me grunting from effort midway through my sentence. Argo seems to ignore this piece of information.

"Because 'it was all just bad timing' is a far more boring and cheap piece of info than its alternativE." The rat launches herself up a few more rocks, skilfully using her agility to scale the cliff-side.

I struggle to keep up and end up slamming my «Climbers Pick» into the Sand Stone in front of me and taking a break. During my rest, I reply. "Cheap and boring or not, the truth is always worth more."

"AgreeD. Clients do not appreciate getting falsifications or twisted version of the trutH." Argo then cracks a slight smile as she continues. "I wish it were true thougH. You and Jade do get along quite well, thougH."

"Then why have you two followed each other into hell and high water when it would be far easier to just walk away with the usual 'oranges and greens can't work together excusE?'" Indeed. Argo has a point, as I've given this same excuse to many greens I've helped along the way, the Rat herself included, however...

"We've made a contract; that's all there is to it." I decide.

"Isn't a relationship simply a agreement between two people who care for each otheR?"

"No, no. It's a bit more than tha– " I stop myself mid-way, because _when I think about it...there isn't really much more to it_. Argo slides down towards me a little way and then signals for me to start climbing again. I begin scaling, but I do so without saying another word.

"What's wrong, Rat got your tonguE?" Argo snorts in amusement.

I finally find a way to justify my actions within the last few days.

"It's a _temporary_ contract, not a permanent partnership." I say.

Argo vaults over the last rock, rolling onto the top. I follow soon after, scrambling up the cliff face. She looks at me from a few feet to my right and at that moment I realize her mischievous smile is gone.

"_Foolish_." Argo's tone is abnormally harsh, and this level of bluntness is rare from such a slippery information broker.

"What?" I'm taken aback.

"_Foolish._ That is what you arE. You say temporary like it holds no meaning in this world, like permanent means something in AincraD." As Argo's voice raises, I suddenly feel glad that Furinkazan and Jade still have a good few meters to go before reaching the top. This is a side of Argo I had never seen before, and I have no doubt Klein would be shocked if he saw this.

_What's up with her?_

Argo walks up and draws her claws up to my neck. I flinch, slide back instinctively, and almost draw my hand up to my blade. Argo smiles bitterly, and then spits out: "See how you step back to protect yourself? It is because you know your life could end here at this very momenT. This world, its population, its people, is finitE. We are a few thousand striving endlessly towards a goal, and regardless of the end outcome, we will leave this world, either by death or clearing the final flooR. When either one of those days come, Aincrad will cease to exisT. Even you, Klaes, your life as a orange player will end in time. Whether it be in a few hours, or days, or weeks, or months, or years from noW. It doesn't matter if this quest doesn't clear your criminal status – although it probably will – because you'll eventually be free of both it and this worlD. Nothing is permenanT." She spits the last words out.

_Argo...this isn't like you._

I stand with my jaw agape. Never had I seen a burst of emotion so powerful from the broker.

Argo gasps as the words she has spoken register in her own mind.

As a information broker with a "no bias, just information" policy, she has just broken her own code severely. If I tell the others what happened here, she loses all credibility as a broker. Quite clearly, Argo knows this, as she scrambles to apologize.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've heard about so many horrible things happening to players in the recent floorS... I..."

_I understand.  
_  
In Sword Art Online, breakdowns are not a uncommon occurrence. Being thrown against your own will into a brutal and unforgiving world where death is a daily thing broke many players, and the high casualty rates from the first few months of the game only made matters worse. Information brokers, those whose job it was to learn of everything that happened in the castle, occasionally would crack upon hearing of a particularly horrendous or tragic death. Argo had never shown signs of letting the world drag her down and that was her selling point as a broker, but it looks like its finally gotten through.

_You're right, Argo. Nothing here is permanent. I can't believe I haven't realized it earlier, after all that has happened._

I place my hand on the top of her head, Argo stops apologizing mid phrase. Her eyes are filled with terror, expecting me to scream her down and disgrace her as a informant.  
"Well, this is a stroke of good luck." I say.

"...eh?"

"That's the most information I've ever received from a informant for free." I claim.

Argo's jaw drops.

"You _really_ are a terrible broker, you know that? You could have charged me a few mega col for what you just taught me." I tell the Rat. A weak smile finds its way onto Argo's face, and some of the usual mischief returns to her eyes.

"Cherish it, KlaeS. You're never getting that much out of me agaiN."

"I'm sure of that."

Argo laughs at my response, probably as much out of relief as of actual happiness.

"I'll talk to Jade."

"Go, white knighT." Argo douses her words in sarcasm as I turn to walk toward the cliff. "Just one more thing; make sure history doesn't repeat itselF." She says this in full seriousness.

I turn to her and smile weakly. "It won't, don't worry." I assure Argo.

_I'll make sure it won't happen again. That's the most I can do for you, Arissa._

I take a few steps towards the cliff, and then lie down and crawl forward to the verge of the sand stone monstrosity. I nudge my head over the edge to see a mess of white armour and dirty blonde hair hangs a few feet under me, Jade's hands grasping onto a rock. I blink whilst looking down at her, and when I open my eyes in Jade's place is a girl with hair the colour of midnight and electric blue eyes. Startled, I blink again, breaking the illusion and once again placing Jade before me. Despite myself, I feel a smile make its way onto my face when I see that she has returned.

_Four days is a long time in Aincrad, huh? To confuse those two means she's had more of a impression than expected._

"What the hell are you smiling at?" Jade's looks up at me, irritated at my expression and obviously worn out by the climb.

"A damsel in distress that's getting her dress all tangled up on the rocks, that's all."

"Hah. Hah. _Hilarious_." Jade spits out the words as she clings onto the stone, the drop behind her a good 19 meters of thin air.

"If you find it that funny, perhaps I should stop joking around before I make you laugh so hard you loose your grip." I smirk as I stare down at the blonde, who is struggling to stay stable on the face of the cliff.

Jade lets out a exasperated gasp and moves her foot up slightly. Further to the right, I see Furinkazan make the last stretch and roll themselves over onto the flat ground. It is then when I realize tank-class players just beat Jade up the cliff.

_What's taking her so long?_

It is then that I notice that my companion is trembling. Surely enough, she's shaking slightly as she clutches the sand stone before her. For a split second, she looks down, and I see her dart her eyes back in front of her in fear.

_You're kidding me._

"_Heyyyy_ Jade, need a hand there?" I say in a sing-song tone.

"I'm fine!" She exclaims, tightening her grip on the stone.

_Stubborn as always, I see._

"Really? You seem a little bit frightened... could it be that you're afrai-"

"GAH! YES! I am afraid of heights! Fearful, scared, terrified, whatever the hell you want to call it!" Jade cuts me off in a outburst.

_Ah-hah!  
_  
I grin as I hang my head over the limit, cherishing my victory in this small battle.

"Well then..." I reach out my hand to her.

She hesitates for a second, but then looks at the drop behind her and shakes her head.

"...I'm not forgiving you for this morning. You owe me a very expensive meal."

"I have no doubt about that, Jade."

She smiles and then reaches out, grabbing my hand. I smile back, and then put my STR into getting her up onto the plateau.

I pull my companion over the top and onto steady ground. She dusts herself off and then walks past me to stare at Aradu., the Sand Stone City. I walk to her side, and we both look out past the vast landscape of sand-stone and small lakes at the city tucked neatly in-between stones.

"We won't have to climb another one of these, right?" Jade asks.

"Not as far as I can see." I answer honestly.

"Good, I don't like cliffs."

_You also don't like _p_aying for food, and orange players, and when your companion hides stuff, and when people get the wrong impression._

"You don't like a lot of things." I say.

"True, but there are exceptions to everything I deeply dislike."

"Oh really?" Her response intrigues me, and I foolishly play into it.

"Yes, I've met a orange player who I don't deeply dislike..." A feeling of warmth enters my chest, despite myself.

_Is this tenderness, from Jade?_

"I simply find him to be lewd, arrogant, and paranoid, but somewhat dependable." Jade's words crush the warm feeling in my chest and replace it with the same frigid degradation that I've learned is key to her character.

_From kindness to blatant degradation. Why does she always do that? _

"I'm truly honoured that you depend on me." I say.

"Even a orange player has his uses."

"At least this orange player would have told his companion that he was scared of heights before starting to clamber up a twenty meter cliff."

Jade spins around on the balls of her feet and pokes me in the chest with her finger, her face slightly flushed from humiliation. "I would have told you, but you seemed to be having _soooo _much fun with Argo that I didn't want to interrupt!" Jade raises her voice.

_You can't let her use that as a excuse, Klaes. Its just too pathetic._

"Excuse me, but if I recall correctly you were the childish one that made sure were half a bloody mile away from each-other the entire journey!" I raise my voice past hers, and she flushes red at my words.

"Did you just call me childish?" Jade is indignant.

"Damn right I did!"

Jade immediately denies it, and accuses me of causing the misunderstanding in the first place. In the space of a few seconds, we go from loud voices to yelling at each-other, with Furinkazan and Argo staring at us awkwardly. The argument rages on, and about two minutes in Jade begins accusing me of cheating during our small competition over who could kill the most stone statues. Just as I scramble to explain to her just how absurd that claim is, Argo speaks up.

"There is fighting outside the citY."

Jade and I freeze in place, and then Furinkazan guild, who had been silently laughing at the spat Jade and I are, having fall silent. In synchronization, everyone with the «Searching» skill activates it, and pairs of green eyes appear all around us. Jade activates hers, and I launch myself into search mode, my vision goes green as it pans a few hundred meters towards Aradu, and I have to stop myself from gasping as I see dots lighting up the ground below. Dozens of NPCs are battling it out in front of the giant light yellow gates. Dots constantly appear as NPCs re-spawn.

"A battle zone?" I hear Klein's voice. In searching mode, you can still hear voices around you, even though you can only see what your searching skill is detecting.

"Looks like it" I say.

_This is bad. A battle zone this close to the quest zone and the front-line spells trouble._

I pan my vision back towards were our group stands, and a cold shiver runs down my spine. Slight green lines, like nothing I've ever seen before, are creeping towards us from all sides. The green means the system recognizes it as alive, however there is no cursor above it to show what it is.

I deactivate my searching skill and hear a slight chiming sound as others do the same. I look all around me, but the mysterious shapes I had seen are nowhere to be found. I sigh in frustration, and Klein begins explaining to his guild the strategy to get through the battle zone without anyone dying. As I'll simply be running in this plan, I ignore it and walk over to Jade, who is kneeling and facing her back to me. Her light metal armour is fit tightly on her, and I silently thank Klein for helping me buy it and Aincrad for having such splendid armour to replace her bulkier blue plating.

I get closer to her, and see that she is picking up something from the ground. Curious, I take a step forward.

"What is that?" I ask.

Jade turns to me, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She holds her hand up towards me, and I feel a chill run down my spine. "Its snow..." she mutters. An eerie feeling of deja-vu washes over me as I fix my eyes on the small mass of white flakes in her delicate hands. It is then that I start to remember.

_Oh my God._

The lines I saw while searching push themselves into the very centre of my mind, and I slowly tilt my head down towards the ground, my hand reaching up to my sword at five centimeters per second.

The ground below me is white. Hundreds of tendrils of ice and snow are creeping their way over the sand, consuming it and replacing it with suffocating cold. Like water spilt on a table, the snow creeps its way over the area around our group. I hear a few members of Furinkazan gasping in amazement, and I see Jade kneel down to pick up some more snow as I stand there petrified

"The story you told me... this is just like..." Argo mutters from nearby, the Rat's feet covered in a thin layer of snow. She turns, and the world slows down as she takes a first running step.

_The 40__th__ floor._

The snow has created a circle about ten meters wide, and our whole questing party is inside of it. To my horror, it stops spreading right as it creates a perfect encirclement. Flashes from the a few days ago re-enter my mind.

_Snow. Out of place event. A battle event. High level monsters..._

Run. Run. Run!

Argo is already at full sprinting speed by the time I draw my sword and open my mouth to scream at Furinkazan.

"RUN!" I yell, pulling Jade up from the ground.

"What the hell?" Jade, caught of guard by my sudden rashness, let's out a cry of surpirse.

"Don't ask, just run." I say. Jade complies without complaining.

Seeing my desperation and the fleeing information broker, Klein and his guild scramble after Argo, but as we get within a feet feet of the end of the snow circle a flash of blue light envelops the world around us. Furinkazan slows down slightly in utter bewilderment.  
_  
_"Keep running, don't stop!"

I bring my sword forward in a charging «Rage Spike», launching me forward into the fray of sky blue flashes. My sword connects with the neck of the mob, leaving a deep red line on its light blue skin and launching across the sand with a high pitched screech. Its health only decreases by a measly 5%, but the gap is opened and our group rushes through. Klein yells out orders to his group as we begin sprinting. Snow is shooting across the ground around us, trying to cut us off as flashes of blue reveal more purple-tinted weaponry and their users. We break through line after line of them, doing minimal damage but using knock back attacks to make it past them.

"What the hell are these things?" I hear a member of Furinkazan ask in desperation as more spawn.

"Snow Elves." I say grimly as I use a shoulder tackle to knock another over as Jade, Klein's damage dealers, and I cut a whole through their defences. I hit an elf with «Vertical», breaking its helmet to reveal its pure white mane. It grins wildly as I punch it with my heavy gauntlet, my «Martial Arts» skill dealing moderate damage as it gets knocked out of the way.

_Why are they here?_

Another line of Snow Elves spawns, and we turn to find ourselves surrounded by well over a dozen elves. I look past the line in front of us to see a little dot in the distance, Argo. I smile as I realize the Rat will almost certainly make it and get help for us as soon as possible.

The Snow Elves point their battle-axes, hammers, and swords towards us, and a grim realization hits me.

_We may not survive that long_. Klein shouts out an order: "Rotating Circle formation, now!" and his guild rushes to his sides, the tanks of the group hurriedly pulling out shields. Klein looks towards Jade and me and then catches me off guard. "Both of you, form up".

_Eh? I'm an orange and you want me that close to your guild-mates?_

I hesitate for a second, but then Jade grabs me by the arm and drags me into the fray of Furinkazan players.

"If we want to survive, we're going to have to work together." she says.

"Okay." I concede defeat and place myself in between Jade and Klein. We are currently in a tight circle of thirteen, with the tanks on the outside layer and the damage dealers such as Jade, Klein, and I on the inside.

"After the first attack, begin the rotating march!" Klein shouts out orders, and Furinkazan responds with a resounding: "Yes sir!". In a few seconds, the goofy guild had shifted into a professional and military demeanour, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed.

_It might not be enough, though_. Even with front liners, if these Snow Elves were like the one I fought on the 40th floor, this would be a brutal battle. I brace myself and flex my gauntlet in preparation for what might be my last battle.

_I could be seeing you sooner than I thought, Arissa._

The Snow Elves charge our group from all sides, and I let out a resounding battle cry as I lunge my sword over the shoulder of the shield-bearing player in front of me and embed my obsidian blade into the abdomen of a leaping Snow Elf.

* * *

"Switch!" Klein's voice is hoarse from yelling, but he screams out another order as the tanks slip past me and the other parrying damage dealers and the circle encloses itself with the tanks on the outside once again. The very air rings as purple blades crash down on the players' shields, but they hold strong for what seems like the hundredth time.

_As expected of a clearing guild_.

Jade and I quickly drink our health potions as we shift along with the group. Making sure we are always behind the same tank player. Klein has his entire guild walking towards the city of Aradu whilst slowly turning, switching the tanks out for damage dealers temporarily to give them a chance to heal. The constant rotation, movement, and switching is a strategy that confuses the enemy AI and is quite frankly genius, and if not for Klein's skill as a leader, we'd undoubtedly be slaughtered by the onslaught of blue-skinned, sharp-eared mobs who are pounding away at Furinkazan's shields at this very moment.

However, even with a guild of front-liners and top notch leadership, our party's general HP bar has been constantly at mid yellow. These Snow Elves are just as tough and agile as the female one I fought on the 40th floor, except in much larger number.

"Why the hell are these guys here anyways?" I yell out as I stab past the tank into the upper chest of a Elf with low HP. The creature shrieks as its health hits zero and then explodes into dozens of tiny polygons. The sound of glass shattering rings out in front of me and around me as multiple Elves are dispatched, but a equally synthetic sound signifies that more have spawned.

"It's the combat zone!" I turn to see Jade, who is answering my question as a strike that got past her shieldsman. She pushes the purple blade back, and the tank in front of her slashes up at the Elf. "We're in the middle of the combat zone!" Jade says.

I look around and realize that the intensity of the battle had distracted me from my surroundings. We have moved quite a long way and are now about 50 meters away from the gates of Aradu, which remain firmly shut. Before I can contemplate this, Klein breaks my concentration with another order.

"SWITCH!" Klein steps past his tank, and I scramble past mine to hit my quarry with a «Diagonal» that sneaks the Heaven Splitter right between its arm plates. The blow severs its arm, and besides me I see Jade raining down strikes withher runic sword, dropping the Elf's HP to yellow. Once again, I am bewildered by her beauty in combat. She dances her blade past the purple of the Elf's shield, landing hit after hit on its chest, arms, and head.

_If only she was always like th-_

*WHAM* My thoughts are, put bluntly, crushed as a two-handed war-hammer clips me on the side of the head. I stumble and nearly collapse into the snow, my head ringing as I try to regain my balance. I turn around to see the hammer coming down, its head shining a light orange, straight towards my head. The world slows down as I spin around, but even as my sword, glowing blue, arches up in a «Diagonal», I know it won't be fast enough to counter it. With my health now at low yellow, if the hammer hits a critical it's all over for me.

_Oh shit_!

A red, runic blade smashes into the Elf's sword. Jade stands beside me, her hair flowing behind her as she swiftly helps me up,w and we both leap back behind the tanks, who, now at full health, are moving to the outside of the circle. We start strafing along with the group as Jade hands me a health potion.

"Who's the damsel-in-distress now?" Jade teases.

"Oh, shut up."

There is a loud, deep creaking noise, and our entire band of players, every member of Furinkazan included, turn to see the gates of Aradu open about forty meters away from us. The gigantic, ten meter tall gate has only opened to a gap of about four-players-wide, but its enough to get through. Across the battlefield around us, there is a loud, high pitched screech that lasts well over five seconds. Klein, Jade, and I watch in horror as every Snow Elf on the battlefield turns its head towards the doors and begins to charge.

"RUN! GET INSIDE THE WALLS!" Klein cries out a pointless order, as everyone is already making a beeline towards the gates. We slice as we run, knocking back any Elves that get too close. A member of Furinkazan trips, and I grab him by the scruff of his neck and throw him back onto his feet.

Thirty meters

The gates begin closing slightly.

"GO, GO, GO! I'll cover the rear!" I yell as I sprint.

Twenty meters.

Klein decapitates a Elf as he runs past it. I turn to fight off a Elf that was about to cut us down, bowling it over with a martial art skill. When sheath my blade and start running again, but now I'm a few meters behind the group.

Ten Meters.

The gap is now three-players-wide.

_C'mon, we have to make it._

Five meters left and the gap is tiny. Furinkazan suddenly becomes a group of Olympic runners as they dash through, but it closes further, leaving only the width of one person. Jade sprints through, and I see the gates begin to close even more and cries of protest from inside as they try to stop the gates from closing.

_I guess I shouldn't have covered the back, huh?_

I realize in horror that even at this sprinting speed, I won't make it.

_Only one hope I guess_.

If this goes wrong, the delay will get me killed, but I have no choice. In a last act of desperation, I reach towards the Heaven Splitter once more._  
_  
I draw my sword and activate «Rage Spike», giving myself a last boost of speed. Once the speed boost is over I straighten myself out, diving past the doors of the gigantic gate just as they close. Due to the speed I picked up in the last few seconds, I slide smoothly across the stone, my sword clattering next to me as I come to a stop. I roll over, sighing in relief, as I close my eyes.

"God, that was exhausting." I say, my eyes still firmly shut. I get no response from anyone, not a sound. In Sword Art Online, silence inside a area with a lot of players means bad news.

_Why is no one speaking? I just saw them go through the gates, so they can't be too far away._

I gulp and then slowly open my eyes.

A rapier is hovering in front of my eyes. Its blade is the colour of silver, and its hilt and handle are a shining light-green. A deep ocean blue jewel lies on the hilt. My eyes draw up past the blade to owner, and even as I smile up at the player in front of me I am filled with dread. Chestnut hair and hazel eyes, white armour with dashes of red, and bare shoulders fill my vision, but my eyes are fixed on one insignia which is placed all over her armour. A red cross on white metal.

_This day couldn't get any worse..._

There is no doubting it. The girl in front of me is one of Sword Art Online's most famous players... a skilled fighter, renown front-liner, beauty, and efficient leader. The sub-leader of the Aincrad's most powerful guild, and the coordinator of every boss battle. The player whose blade hangs precariously above me is the legendary rapier user from the Knights of Blood.

Asuna «The Flash».


	11. Chapter 10: A Year In Aincrad Part 2

**Chapter 10: A Year in Aincrad, A Day in Hell Pt.2  
**

The world of Sword Art Online is a vast one, and with a limited number of players inhabiting a game that was originally designed for dozens of thousands (before Kayaba revealed his true intentions, of course) one can spend days in an uninhabited wilderness of Aincrad without running into another player. These extended periods of solitude which solo players such as myself face will, on occasion, be broken up by awkward encounters: namely one lone wolf smacking straight into another. Plenty of times I have carelessly waltzed into a fellow beater or solo player in what I had believed to be a deserted training ground, and although it is rare that one of these encounters turns into a full-blown battle, we always have had to shuffle past one and another, their eyes fixed on my colour cursor the entire time.

I imagine that if I had run into Jade by accident, instead of leaping in to save her, things would have gone the same way: a deadly silence would have descended like a meat cleaver, and we would have parted without exchanging a word. Now I find myself wishing we had scurried around each other in the darkness rather than finding ourselves in this current situation.

Both our rag-tag group of mercenaries and misfits and the gigantic clearing group before us do not say a word, the only sound being the lively background music that a nearby NPC orchestra is blasting.

I stare up at the imposing figure in front of me, but the blade she wields once again receives my undivided attention when it moves a half inch closer to my skin. The brilliant and elegant rapier still hangs before me, ready to pierce through my skull with a simple thrust of the user's wrist.

_I have to say something..._If I don't speak soon, it is all too likely my journey will meet its end here.

The words that reach me are not those that will save me. "Uh...hi" I let out meekly, and I see a member of the KoB with dark red hair and a beard chuckle loudly. By the time I realize how pathetic I must sound, it's too late.

_'Smooth, Klaes.' _Although everyone present remains silent, I can almost hear Jade behind me thinking these words. As I stare up at «The Flash», I curse myself for not making a stronger first impression. Her blade is still at my neck.

I quickly scan the front-liners with my eyes, being careful not to turn my head. Members of the DDA, KoB, and multiple solo players are present, but I don't recognize any of my friends from my times as a front liner. While some are looking in puzzlement at me, all looks of stunned recognition seem to be directed at Furinkazan, the front-line guild that has just showed up with an Orange in tow..

_Damn it._ I had left the front-line a few floors after the disaster on the 25h floor, when the Aincrad Liberation Corps took major losses in the boss fight. No doubt I hadn't been the only one to leave the clearing group after Kibaou, ALC's leader at the time, blundered and got dozens killed, but I didn't expect that all my acquaintances would have also left.

_Maybe they had their reasons, too._

With no one in the crowd to back me up, all I can do is wait for the sub-leader of the Knights of Blood to speak. Her firm gaze stays locked on mine, and I mask my fear with a firm, strong impression. With my pathetic outburst earlier, it'll be harder to play tough guy, but I don't really have a choice, do I? This girl holds god-like status in this game, and I'm a mere criminal in SAO. If I don't hold my ground, I'll lose everything in an instant.

_I can't let that happen_.

After what seems like an eternity, the goddess before me sends down a decree of sorts.

"You don't belong here." She states, her voice firm and her face stern.

_That's an understatement, I'm afraid._ Indeed, the looks I am getting from the clearers behind her are screaming anything but acceptance, and the general feeling that is vibrating from the crowd before me makes the hairs on my back stand on end.

I am a sheep that has wandered into a slaughterhouse. The fact that I'm still alive is what makes me out of place. This is every orange player's worst nightmare, multiplied by a thousand. If I'm not killed on the spot, I'll be sent to The Army's Black Iron Castle on the First Floor, which boils down to spending the rest of my time in Aincrad locked in a tiny cell.

Unsure of what to do, I say nothing, and stare up at the sub-leader. The light brown eyes of the rapier-wielder dig into my soul, and I suppress the urge to flinch and instead return her glare. It takes only a split second, but Asuna's eyebrow twitches slightly in what appears to be frustration. In that second, what has been staring me in the face the entire time hits me, and fortunately, it is not Asuna or her razor sharp blade.

No–it's something that should have been obvious the moment the silence set in.

_These guilds have never dealt with an Orange player before._

Due to the nature of orange-green relations, a high-level green player could slaughter a criminal without batting an eyelid, and take no punishment for it. Orange players, such as myself, are fully aware of this, and this threat, combined with the fact that the Army patrols the lower floors, leads the majority of criminal players to hang around the middle floors. where the chances of running into a power-leveller are less likely. In a world where stats define everything, fighting a clearer as an orange can spell instant death. The only reason I had been climbing to the front-line in the first place is that I knew Mors was less likely to follow me up there, although he's not exactly a major concern anymore.

The problem I am faced with now, although still grim, has become slightly clearer. The reason the front-liners aren't stacking me or arresting me this very moment is because the vast majority of them probably don't know what to do, Asuna «The Flash» included. As they'll have spent all their time fighting boss monsters and levelling, they'll have had very few player versus player battles, outside of duels. I look to the Heaven Splitter, which still lies a few inches away from my hand, at my side. The rapier thrusts forward, stopping right before my neck as a warning. I look up into the front-liner's eyes and although they are filled to the brim with determination and strength, I see a small sliver of warmth. It's the same thing I saw in Jade's eyes that day. Or at least, I think it is.

_Hope it is._

_I can do it._ I look at my blade again. Even if it happens that the sub-leader of KoB is not ready to kill me, I cannot speak for the rest of the clearers, or even her guild. But if I move fast enough...

In one swift motion, I swat her blade to the side with my heavily armoured left hand, reach out and grab the Heaven Splitter with my right, and roll towards my companions. As I get to my feet, I twist around, raising my blade up into a battle stance. As rapiers are thrust type weapons, and I have hit it from the side, I take minimal damage even though her weapon is obviously high grade.

Jade wordlessly unsheathes her bright red blade, the runic patterns across it lighting up blue as she points it towards the clearers. Although there is no magic in Sword Art Online, it certainly does have an unnerving effect, despite its user being clad in bright white armour which makes her look like an angel in contrast to the demonic blade.

_Jade looking angelic is a wolf in sheep's clothing..._ I keep this thought to myself, of course, as she's currently risking her life to back me up. Insulting the generous is pure folly in Aincrad, especially in situations like these where kindness, compassion, and sympathy are the only things standing between you and certain death. Although Furinkazan do not step forward, I hear the sound of over ten weapons being drawn behind me. Without a doubt, the red-haired Katana user is on my side.

_Thank you, Klein._

The sub-leader of the KoB has maintained her composure, but I can see her face is twitching in what seems to be a mixture of anger, confusion, and frustration. Behind her, almost all the front-liners have also drawn their weapons, the only exceptions being a few that are grimacing–likely friends of Klein– and a one handed swordsman dressed in black who is sitting atop a vendor stall looking gloomy. An army of the highest grade weapons I've ever seen are now pointed directly at Jade, Furinkazan and I, but I can't help but grinning slightly. In this situation, either we win or everyone loses.

_It's all down to how she reacts, now... _If I was alone, I'd be screwed. I would either be stacked by the front-liners and die without dishing out a single hit, or be restrained and launched through a corridor into a jail cell on the first floor. Either way, the clearers could have done as they wished with no need to worry about the consequences.

However, this is not the case, given that I have Furinkazan and Jade standing by my side and seemingly ready to fight. Even if Klein is bluffing and decides to step back if they charge, the chance that he won't is stopping Asuna from giving the order to attack. They can hit me all they like, but if they attack Furinkazan or Jade, who are all green players, they'll receive Orange status temporarily. If anyone dies in the fight, the victors will be cursed with orange and lose their ability to front-line, as they'll be blocked from most towns . Aradu is the first orange-friendly city found until now, and there's no telling how long it'll be before another shows up. Additionally, if this does become an all out battle between the clearing group and ourselves, they'll no doubt lose all of Furinkazan and many of their own men will also die in the ensuing carnage.

Basically, she can't afford to attack. If my hunch about her is correct, and if the rumours about her only focus being on clearing the game are true, «The Flash» will not attack. I look at Jade, and she nods back at me in understanding.

Silence continues to cling to the air like a plague, and I tighten my grip on the Heaven Splitter.

_Come on, back off already_.

Unfortunately, it isn't the sub-leader of the Knights of Blood who breaks the silence.  
"He's an orange, let's get him already!" A heavily armoured tank-type player bursts through the crowd. He's wearing deep, dark purple armour and a full helmet that covers his face. He pushes past the crowd, lifting his two-handed sword above his head. There's a flash of light, and in the next second he stops dead in his tracks.

"...woah." Despite myself, I let out a small gasp, and I hear Jade do the same.

In front of the player, who had been charging with such might only an instant ago, a rapier hangs lightly in front of his neck. The tank stands there, frozen at the sight of the blade in front of him and the ocean-blue jewel at its hilt.

"...her nickname suits her." Jade says, her jaw still hanging a few inches off the ground. I can't help but agree with her, «The Flash» had certainly earned her name. The rapier had moved so quickly I hadn't even seen its path. It was as if it had just materialized in front of the ruffian. I realize that if she had wanted to kill me when I made my retreat, she could have done it with ease. This thought sends a chill running down my back, but it's also reassuring.

_If she didn't stab then, that means..._

"You can't do this, I'm not even in your guil-" the armoured man protests, but he is swiftly cut off by Asuna.

"Think, you idiot. If you charge them now and we all get caught up in a fight, how many of us will die? How many more will get stuck with Orange status? Do you think we stand a chance at escaping this world if that happens?"Asuna, although she has the figure and voice of a girl in her late teens, speaks with absolute authority.

"But– "

"But what?" Her voice and rage pierce through the air and the two-handed swordsman flinches, but does not move an inch. Audacious and arrogant as he is, I have to give him credit for his bravery: I'm sure if I was confronted in this way by a girl such as her, I'd cower back and curl up into a ball, then cry myself to sleep.

Suddenly Jade's glowering face comes to my mind, packed with memories of the last few days.

_Actually, maybe not._

Regardless, I make a mental note to never get on «The Flash»'s bad side. One domineering ball of rage and relentlessness disguised by undeniable beauty is more than enough for me, although I have to admit Jade has been surprisingly kind and helpful at times.

_If only more often._

As if she hears my internal plea, Jade steps forward, raising her blade. "You heard the woman, back off" she sneers as she points her blade at the knight, who still stands a few feet away from us.

If it weren't for his charge beforehand and his obvious hatred of me, I would be feeling sorry for him right around now. As brave as a man may be, when faced with an angered sub-leader of a top guild and a sneering Jade, he may as well be standing before two harpies who are desperate to rip him apart. He lowers his blade, and takes a slow step back.

_Retreat, a wise choice indeed._

Jade turns her head towards me and gives a slight smile. I nod, half in gratitude and half to deflect any wrath left in her as far away from me as possible. As high level as many male players may be, an angry Jade will always strike more fear into my heart. At least in regular battles it is a physical duel, which is a lot easier to manage than a constant barrage of verbal abuse.

Asuna spins around, sighing deeply. The girl who is practically worshipped on the lower and middle floors speaks again.

"We won't fight you, but we will ask you to leave." Asuna's voice is firm, her countenance stern. She doesn't let a shred of uncertainty edge into her words, and I am beginning to understand why she's the battle coordinator for the boss fights. "I realize part of your group is a front-line guild, but orange players cannot be allowed near the clearing group. The safety of the players and the completion of each floor take top priority, and I can't let the whims of a single party get in the way of that. For that reason, the 'Orange' has to go." Asuna points her blade slightly towards me, but there is no malice in her eyes.

_Ah_. It is now clear to me that behind her words lie no hate. She simply desires to clear the game in the most efficient way possible. If I were in any other situation, I would respect her wishes, but this time I can't.

I open my mouth to protest, but before I can Argo startles me, by leaping down from a building above. The Rat had left the rest of us outside the gates, and I had completely forgotten that she had arrived in Aradu before us. What could she possibly do, though? One of Asuna's eyebrows rise in curiosity, and I can't blame her. Information brokers usually just _observe,_ after all.

The Rat stands, her metal claws raking the ground as she pushes herself up. For an instant, she looks far more like a cat than a rat as she lazily stretches, almost yawning. She smiles, and then asks for the impossible: "My deep apologies for not warning you earlier, Asuna-san, but we do indeed have business in this citY. I'm afraid you're going to have to let him gO." I cannot see her face as her back is turned to me, but I can imagine she is grinning. She almost always is.

"And what might that be?" Asuna asks, understandably suspicious. A front-line guild composed of players that resemble bandits, an information broker aptly nicknamed The Rat, and an orange player are not a group to inspire trust. Ironic as it might seem, from her perspective Jade probably looks like the only sane person in our group..

"As a matter of a fact, we're here for a certain quesT." It seems Argo was expecting such suspicion from Asuna, as she answers the sub-leader instantly. Asuna keeps a straight face, but a few of the clearers behind her fail to hide their curiosity at the mention of a quest. I even see one at the very back let out a sigh of relief.

_What's up with this ?_

"Is it the quest that will re-open the door to the dungeon?" A voice from slightly above the crowd rings out; its owner is the clearer sitting on a vendor stall. His dark black hair covers most of his face, but from the facial features that can be seen he looks to be around seventeen or eighteen; his figure is shrouded by a worn-down, dark-blue trench-coat, on his feet he wears boots the colour of midnight with spurs at the back. Despite his dark and gloomy look, I'm relieved to see his blade is still sheathed.

"Yes." Argo nods slowly, and I'm surprised to hear a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"If that's the case..." The swordsman jumps down from the stall and draws his longsword. I feel Jade tense up next to me, but for some reason I get a strange feeling from this swordsman. I put my hand on her shoulder without thinking, and I thank lady fortune that she lowers her blade instead of questioning my actions. Perhaps in threatening situations Jade is easier to deal with.

_I need to get into battles more often, if that's the case._

The swordsman walks towards us, his blade hanging casually at his side and his shield hand empty. No one follows him or tries to stop him, but there are loud murmurs from the group of clearers behind him.

_Strange._ I only don't use a shield because of my little trick. Jade has probably sacrificed the use of one because her side-step style combat would be slowed by carrying a shield. But for a front liner to not use one seems off... Just as this thought crosses my mind, I begin to recognize the swordsman before us.

_One-handed sword style, no shield._

_Worn-down, dark clothing._

_A solo player._

Could it be?

Asuna, the sub-leader of KoB, is staring at him as he closes the last few inches of the gap between our party and the clearers. Her face is contorted, as if she is feeling angry and sad, no –nostalgic - at the same time. Her face resumes its normal sternness when he turns to face the front-liners.

"...In that case, I say we let them finish the quest."

Asuna frowns at the swordsman, but to my surprise her voice doesn't sound angry. "Kirito, I'm afraid this doesn't concern you. You're a solo player, after all."

"Yeah, regardless of your reputation as a front-liner, it's the leading clearing guild that decides what to do in these situations, 'Swordsman'." The red-haired KoB member adds, putting extra emphasis on Swordsman. At this, I finally recognize the mysterious figure before me.

_The Black Swordsman._ I had run into him in a dungeon once before, but I had only started hearing rumours about him a few weeks later. His names included the "Atomic Beater" and "Solo Kirito", and although he had been the first beater and one of the most hated players early on in the game, he has since apparently played a major role in just about every boss fight. According to the information brokers, he is a ruthless fighter and can only be matched by a select few from the clearing group. Asuna, I assume, is one of those players. This stand-off is an argument between giants: two of Sword Art Online's top five players, one basking in fame, one shrouded in infamy and both now standing on different sides of a dividing line.

_Damn..._

"Don't be arrogant. It concerns everyone, not just the KoB." Asuna reels back slightly at the Swordsman's harsh tone, and I see the red-haired Knight of Blood's brow furrow in anger.

"Sub-leader, aren't you the one always saying that 'clearing comes first'? 'Move towards the next floor without hesitation', you said." The Black Swordsman presses onward, either oblivious or indifferent to the mob of outraged Knights of Blood that have gathered behind their sub-leader.

"I-"Surprisingly, Asuna's words catch in her mouth for a second, and although I may be imagining it, «The Flash» seems hurt. Before I can even register that expression in my mind, she is back to her usual, stern self.

I look over at Jade, and see that she too noticed this quick change in her composure. I gesture over at the two of them by pointing with my head, and she nods, as if to say "Yeah, I noticed."

I can't tell exactly what it is, and the details are unreadable, but one thing is for sure.

_Somehow, somewhere along the way, those two have history._

The notion that two front-liners with completely different reputations would have some shared past is amusing, but now is probably not the best time to ask, as Asuna is finally - after much thought - giving her answer.

"Loo-"

"You have a day, but there will be other conditions." A man in dark-red armour with a white shield steps forward and the crowd's whispering becomes louder. Asuna bows her head slightly in what seems to be respect, and even the Black Swordsman lowers his blade in surprise.

"Wow." Is all I hear Klein say.

"Oh?" Argo seems slightly surprised.

"Impossible..." I mutter, earning me a confused look from Jade. However, when she looks back again, I see her freeze in realization.

_It's him._

The Paladin, the leader of the Knights of Blood, and without a shadow of a doubt the strongest player in the game. Heathcliff. The man's aura alone is suffocating, and the only thing that's stopping me from gaping in awe is the cursor above my head that doesn't allow me to show a shred of weakness.

As the Living Legend speaks his voice booms; "So you are the group that has taken up the anniversary quest." He looks over us quickly, and I sense him pause for a millisecond at my gauntlet. Heathcliff looks up again at the thirteen of us, who have fallen silent in his presence. "Good luck!" He smiles slightly, as if looking down at a group of children. For some reason, none of us feel the need to be offended.

"Out of curiosity, how many have been trappeD?" Argo asks.

"Ten got trapped inside, but they all teleported out in time." Heathcliff answers without hesitation.

"Leader, are you sure that we should be telling them this?" Asuna's worry is clear, but she sighs in resignation when the Red Knight simply nods at her.

"The doors to the next floor have closed by themselves, and I believe your quest will open the doors again. For this reason and this reason only, we will allow you to remain on the front-lines. Of course, there will be certain conditions I'll have to set, due to the orange player you bring with you. I wish you the best of luck." The Paladin nods at me as he says the last phrase, and for some reason I feel a shiver run down my spine.

_He must have truly great information brokers to know about the orange part of this quest._

"Ohhhh Klaes!" She yells out, a mix of joy and pain filling her beautiful voice.

"Jade..." I softly, seductively, whisper her name.

"Klaes! Klaees!" Jade's sweet cries ring out into the desert air "I think I'm going to c-"

"RIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH! SHUT UP!" A high, shrill voice drowns out her words; causing Jade and I to howl with laughter.

"Oh c'mon, can't we have a little fun?" Jade inquires, spinning the object around her neck with her fingers. The crystals that Jade and I are wearing as necklaces are lit up, a clear sign that everything we are saying is being put on record.

"No." The voice, stern as ever, replies.

"To be fair, you're the ones who forced us to wear these recording crystals..." I shrug innocently, and a slight _tsk_ sound comes from the voice's owner, in contrast to the hearty laughter that begins beside Jade.

Although Heathcliff's decision to record everything Jade and I say whilst in Aradu to have evidence of any crimes we commit (Furinkazan and Argo were exempt, as they are already trusted) may have seemed like a good idea at the time, it has backfired..

The Knights of Blood in particular are probably regretting this decision. For the past ten minutes, Jade and I have been saying everything possible to make the recordings absolutely absurd. It has taken talk of alien species, a short recital of the end of MacBeth and finally obscenity to get our supervisor to break down, but it's been worth it.

"You're wearing those for the safety of our players as well as to make sure that no-one who harasses the two of you goes unpunished. So please, stop making fools of yourselves.." The voice is irritated, but behind a layer of anger lies a slightly pleading tone.

Obviously, she isn't aware that begging will get nowhere with Jade.

"Hmmm?" Jade murmurs as if she really does plan to stop, but I know better. There is always calm before the storm.

The owner of said voice, one of two bodyguards assigned to us, is covering her scarlet face with her hands, no doubt thinking "Why am I on guard duty?". Indeed, as reasonable as Heathcliff's request to assign guards to us first seemed, we were surprised when he chose his sub-leader as one of them. The other guard, the large red-headed man named Godfree, was another unexpected choice considering he is the Vanguard commander of the KoB.

When Heathcliff was questioned on these choices by a bewildered Asuna, he had stated matter-of-factly: "There'll be no boss fight until they move on with the quest, I can guarantee that."

Although no one really knows who the Paladin gets his information from, he certainly does seem to have spot on knowledge on the world of Sword Art Online. Nothing has happened, and the doors to the next floor remain closed.

_How does he know so much?..._

As any beater, beta tester, or player who despises these two groups will tell you, knowledge in Aincrad means power. Knowing where to hunt, what attacks a boss monster has, and how often an item drops, can mean the difference between an extremely successful player and a dead one. The first month of the death game, in which two thousand players met their end, is proof of this.

This statement however, leads to a paradox. If knowledge is power, and power determines success in SAO, how has Godfree made it this far? The man is certainly enthusiastic, easy-going, and lively, but considering that he has yet to stop guffawing at Asuna's outburst, he is without a shadow of a doubt a bit of a dunce.

Five minutes later and Godfree, to Asuna's disdain and the amusement of bystanders, still shows no sign of stopping.

_Okay, he's dim-witted for sure._ But I can't help smiling at this hearty figure, and the fact that he has survived this long means that Aincrad perhaps is a more forgiving world than I had thought.

"I guess Luck really is a legitimate parameter, eh?" My remark does not fall on deaf ears, and Jade chuckles.

"Yeah, it would explain how you've gotten this far, would it not?" Jade teases.

_That's not what I meant..._  
_But you know that, of course._

"Maybe, but I wouldn't count myself too lucky. I'm stuck with you, after all." At my witty response, Jade frowns angrily, but nods her head as if to say "Well played."

It's the usual kind of crap we give each other, but with Jade hiding her irritation for once, it's far more enjoyable.

_Or perhaps she's usually like this? _

_Perhaps it's my colour cursor that causes her mood swings. _When she forgets that I'm orange, she treats me like I'm a human being. _._

_At least, I hope that's it. _A problem that can be fixed is not a problem at all.

Godfree has finally stopped laughing, but now Asuna, the proud sub-leader is simply shaking her head and sighing in frustration. Her face, now devoid of all the embarrassment from earlier, is back to its normal sternness. It seems the only thing that can break her out of her "serious" state is to fluster her out of it one way or another. She isn't the only person who's got it, but she's a textbook case of "clearing obsession". As of right now, all that matters to this girl is when they'll get to the next floor, which is probably why she is so rough with other players.

The image of The Black Swordsman standing against her, and the words he said, re-enter my mind.

_I guess she's not the only one with level-obsession._

As a matter of a fact, it is due to the Black Swordsman, Kirito himself, that Jade and I are standing around like fools in the middle of a plaza in Aradu. It's also because of him that we're lounging around idly with two bodyguards beside us, instead of marching into the Sand Stone Palace like we should be. The Palace itself, and the quest flag behind it that would finally rid me of my Orange status lie at the northern side of this plaza, but I dare not enter it without the support of Furinkazan, and Argo would never forgive me if I just paraded in there without her. Unfortunately, Jade and I are the only ones ready to move out: Kirito walked off right after Heathcliff gave his decree, and Argo and Klein swiftly apologized before bolting after him with worried looks in their eyes.

_In this world, everyone has their own issues._ This thought does not strike me as strange.

What does strike me as strange is Jade's sudden silence. I turn to look at her, and almost reel back in shock.

Fear is not the right word for her expression.

Neither is resentment, in all honesty.

Is it in a strange, eerie middle ground? No– it's a look I've never seen before from Jade, but many times in the real world.

The look a student has when a teacher is collecting unfinished homework.

The feeling that builds inside of you, growing by leeching of your very soul. A feeling of horrible anticipation, of waiting for a bill you cannot pay to arrive in the mail, of standing next to the guillotine awaiting the executioner to read out the inevitable death sentence.

_Dread_.

That is what she's feeling, and whilst irritation, anger, indignation, and shock all somehow suit her, , her face twisted in this new way –although I'd never admit it to her– scares me. Her eyes are wide, and when I follow them to the source of her dread, fully expecting to see a giant monster or an angry mob coming to get rid of us, I am surprised to see instead two armoured players walking in our direction. Both are wearing dark-purple armour, and I recognize the one wearing the helmet as the rash two- handed swordsman from earlier who, if not for Asuna's skill as a leader, would likely have initiated a battle that would have crippled the clearing effort. Next to him is a boy who appears to be a few years my senior. His face is stern and hard, but his light blonde hair and light green eyes, combined with his full set of heavy armour, give the impression that he is some sort of knight. This is an absurd notion, of course, as there are no classes in Sword Art Online.

_Even if they are knights, they're not having the intended effect on the 'fair maidens'_. Jade seems to be shrinking in an attempt to make herself smaller, and Asuna is staring at them in suspicion. Godfree, who was grinning just a few seconds ago, is staring at the two players in distaste..

"Urgh, the TKA..." I hear Asuna mumble.

_What could possibly have Jade reacting like this?_

Jade's hand trembles, and she slowly shifts her position so I am shielding her from the TKA's stares. Although at this point I'd usually be mentioning "damsels in distress," her facial expression tells me that this is not the best time to mess around.

_Something is seriously wrong._ Whatever it is, it probably has something to do with the two knights approaching us.

_But what?_

I can't figure it out, and only when the knight with golden hair stops a few feet in front of me does a shocking realization hit me straight in the face.

His hair, and his eyes. The number of natural blondes in Sword Art Online is extremely low, and although they're slightly different, there's a resemblance with...

"Jade, what are you doing here?" The blond-haired knight spits out her name as if it was poisonous, and his tone is harsh.

_What the hell?_

I feel Jade rest her forehead on my back, and I hear her sigh deeply.

"I can explain..." her voice is meek and weak, nothing like the Jade I've become used to "...brother."

_Dammit Jade, why didn't you tell me about this?_

It has been ten minutes since Jade's brother began talking her. The blonde knight, presumably her older brother, has positioned himself and his victim just out of my earshot.

Victim of what sort, you may ask?

Unfortunately, the type of assault he is delivering to her is no punishable crime. Even from this distance, it is clear from Jade's shrinking form that she is enduring some pretty heavy verbal abuse. Her eyes are wavering, and she is shaking from holding back tears. For a girl who's usually so calm and cold, her brother must be saying some truly cruel things indeed. If I could step forward, I would, but the two-handed swordsman from earlier stands before me, blocking the way. His dark-purple armour is boxy and slightly ugly, fitting in to the awkward "middle stage" that heavy armour goes through for mid-range quality items in most MMORPGs. This usually isn't a terrible thing, as many in this stage of SAO are stuck with such armour.. The issue is that his helmet has never left his head, giving me the urge to take a can opener and crack him open to see if there really is a person inside, or just a soul placed there due to some horrible mishap during transmuta-

_You've watched too many shows, Klaes._

I sigh, feeling utterly helpless as I watch Jade flinch as her brother raises his hands in the air, berating her. Part of me now wishes that during my time in an orange guild I had trained my eavesdropping skill: if so I could listen to the conversation before me now.. If I could hear what he was saying to her...

_I'd likely..._

_Use it to give her crap?_

_Tease her with it?_

_Agree with him and push it further?_

I look at Jade, and see that tears have started to form at the edge of her eyes.

_Eh, maybe not this time._ Despite her ridiculous mood swings and occasional straight-out bitchery, she's stuck with me until now and she's a great—well, decent companion. I won't tell her this, of course, because her head will probably grow too big for her to get through an inn doorway if I do.. However...

_Console first, tease later._ Yes, that's what I would do if I could somehow hear what they were saying. I smile to myself , happy that I have finally made a decision, but the smile quickly fades as I feel the two-handed swordsman's eyes digging into my head. Well, I'm pissed off and useless right now, so I might as well mess with this guy.

"Do I have something on my face?" I know the answer to this question already, of course. This is just a subtle way of mine to tell someone to piss off and stop staring at me.

The man in the boxy armour stares me down, as if judging me. I exaggeratedly wipe my face with my hand, and pretend to inspect it. When I find nothing on my palm, I shrug and smile at him.

"You have no right to smile in this world." He looks up at my cursor, obviously talking about the condition that had brought me to Aradu in the first place.

_Ugh, this crap again._

A month, maybe even a week ago, these words would have deeply hurt me. I look over at Jade, who is still being lectured, and my mind wanders to Argo and Furinkazan, the other people backing me up.

I look at the armoured swordsman before me, who I feel glaring at me beneath his helmet, his very being daring me to answer.

_I have twelve green players backing me up now. I can smile whenever I like._

"I will soon." is all I say.

The man fidgets at this, and then stomps his foot down, startling me slightly.

"Don't think we don't know about your little quest, Orange. Just because the system will grant you green status doesn't mean we'll accept you." His words take me off guard, but I quickly regain composure. I can't afford to take this hothead's crap.

_I don't need this idiot's acceptance as long as I have a few people who trust me._

I truly believe this.

"And who the hell are you to give out acceptance?" I reply to him as if bored.

"Hah!"The man puffs out his chest beneath his armour, and then begins boasting proudly, "We are the True Knights of Aincrad, protectors of justice and a clearing guild! Standing at fifteen members, we are brothers in arms, and we will never bow to the wil-"

"Yeah, never heard of 'em.." I cut him off flatly. One thing does catch my attention, though.

_Brothers in arms, huh? _

"Humph." Obviously irritated, the "True Knight" continues his tirade "You scorn me? You are a criminal player, nothing more than scum. You're nothing compared to me." As dangerous as a front-liner may be, ignoring an insult from a load of scrap metal is not on my to-do list. I retaliate appropriately.

"Whatever, I would take all of that crap a lot more seriously if it wasn't coming from a tin can."

The man is visibly having trouble with restraining his anger, and I hear a sigh of relief come from Asuna when he finally takes a step back.

"Don't start a fight" I hear her say.

"Okay, mom."

Asuna grimaces.

Then, I hear the patter of footsteps. I turn to see Jade walking towards me, her brother close in tow. I'm about to speak but the brother beats me to it "You, follow me for a second." His tone is even icier than Jade's on the worst of days, and I suddenly feel slightly worried for my safety. If I didn't have the Heaven Splitter still on my back, I'd likely refuse and back away.

However, that would hardly be fair to Jade. I shrug at the intimidating soldier before me..

"Sure." I say. As I step past Jade, I see her mouth out "I'm sorry.".

The brother leads me out of her ear shot range, and then turns to me. Although it is only for a split second, I see him flick his glance up at my colour cursor, a small mistake, but it'll give me some space to work with.

"Right then, I want you to tell me–" He starts.

"Klaes." I answer before he can finish his question.

"What?" Clearly, he does not expect me to push for ground in this conversation, but taking the bull by the horns is much more comfortable than taking a horn to the multiple-body-parts. _Fight hard, minimize damage_. This is a basic principle in Sword Art Online.

"You were asking my name, right?" I play dumb.

"Actually–"

"Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to ask yours!" I exclaim, raising my arms to my shoulders.

"Prodotes. It's Prodotes." he replies dryly, clearly aware that I'm attempting to derail the conversation.

"Prodotes, eh? Fits you, I suppose..." I smile brightly at the man before me, doing my best to keep my composure. To my disdain, not an inch of warmth manages to sneak its way into the glacier that is his face.

_Maybe I misjudged him.._

"Cut the crap. Why is someone like you travelling with my sister?" His question almost sounds like a statement, an accusation. There is not a hint of curiosity in its tone, just pure menace packed within the words.

"We've made a deal with each other, as I'm sure she's told you." I answer the pseudo-question in honesty. He glares at me, his eyes turning into tiny slits. With this man standing before me, the memory of Mors appears in my mind. Prodotes' eyes and Mors', although different in appearance, are the same in nature. If eyes are windows to the soul, I'd be looking at a wasteland right around now.

_Damn, this guy is nasty._

"You have no business travelling with her." The knight states opinion as fact, which irritates me enough to go on the counter-offensive.

_You wouldn't really know that, now, would you?_

"As far as I'm concerned, you have no business lecturing either of us. She never even mentioned having a brother, let alone you, _buddy_." I spit the last word out.

"You can't judge my actions, Orange."

"I don't know of your actions, 'brave sir knight', and my name is Klaes, as I've told you."

"Only humans deserve names."

"Then we are all animals. Few use their real names in Aincrad." I state.

We stare each other down, the air between us becoming no man's land as we begin to dig our mental trenches. However, halfway through preparing my next batch of verbal artillery to launch at him, the enemy pulls back with one final declaration.

"Hmmph. I suppose I'll let this one slide. Just know this, Orange: Jade doesn't belong on the front-lines. If anything happens to her here, I'll find you and I'll kill you, is that clear? There's a reason I left her on the lower floors." Before I can retort, he and the tin-can man begin walking away, and I'm forced to bite my tongue.

_What a dick._

That's my only conclusion regarding Prodotes, Jade's brother. I turn to face the sister, who has turned her face away. She has her own explaining to do, but considering I'm angry after talking to that guy for a mere thirty seconds, I can't imagine what she must feel like after ten minutes. Due partially to this, I decide to approach this in a more gentle fashion than I usually would.

"Jade..."

"...Yes?"

"Why didn't you say anything about him beforehand?" I keep my voice as steady as I can manage, despite the fact that I want to scream_ "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT!?"._

Jade sighs deeply, and I notice her eyes are slightly wet.

_To get her like this… I surely need to find out what he said. _

"I was hoping we wouldn't run into him." It's an honest answer, I'm sure of this much.

I sigh.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on with your brother, and what he said to you?"

She shakes her head from side to side. "No." This isn't the Jade I know.

"Please?" I ask. The word feels strange coming out of my mind, and I realize the last time I said please to her-or anyone, at that-was when I asked her to stick with me until I could take the quest on by myself. It feels like ages ago, considering how close I am to clearing my status now.

Jade suddenly looks up, and takes a deep breath as if she has just decided something.

"Tell you what, if we discover that the reward of the quest really is what you're looking for, I promise I'll tell you." A simple, straightforward agreement. I can't say it isn't fair, but...

"...and if it isn't what I'm looking for?" It's the logical question for me to ask.

"Then you'll never know." A cold, direct answer, completely typical of her.. However, if it turns out that going back to green isn't the reward from this quest, I'll both be stuck with orange and never know the truth behind Jade and her brother. Without thinking, I decide to speak my mind.

"That's really not fai..." I trail off and Jade cocks her head sideways, imitating a curious smile. Although her eyes are still slightly misty, I can tell that she's back to normal from the stupid grin that soon finds its way onto her face.

_What was it that I had said when she asked me about my colour cursor?_

I'm certain I responded to her inside that dungeon on the 41st floor... It was something along the lines of...

_Oh crap ._

I smack my head with my hand, cursing my own hypocrisy.

Jade's smile turns into a laugh, and I drag my hand through my hair, examining sandstone to cover my embarrassment. Her dirty blonde hair is a mess, and her eyes are still sad, but even in this state her obnoxious, laughter has a certain charm to it. I can't help but smile, despite being completely outplayed by her. Asuna and Godfree are standing awkwardly to the side, with the sub-leader typing hurriedly into her message box as she sends out what I assume to be orders.In the distance, Argo and Furinkazan can be seen approaching us. Jade sees them and grins..

"I hope they did what they could for him." I hear her say. Surprised, I realize she's talking about the Black Swordsman. From the corner of my eye, I see that Asuna has looked up from her messages, but when I furrow my brow at her in a "huh?" she hurriedly looks back down.

_In all honesty, I'm surprised Jade cares._ I look down at this girl, who has just been talked down by her brother. She's smiling, even waving slightly as our companions approach. I look down at the recording crystal on her neck, and I can't help but wonder what horrible words Prodotes said are contained in there. Maybe I'll never know, but whatever they were, she's not letting them get to her.

_She pushes through._

The Black Swordsman's gloominess, Asuna's undoubtedly huge list of worries, Jade's abrasive brother, and my Orange curse. We are all pushing through it, living through it.

Living through grief, living through trials, living through cruelty, and Living Orange.

_Aincrad is a fine mess indeed._

"Well, ready?" Argo and the others have finally reached us.

"Hell yes." I answer confidently.

As a group, we walk up the steps from the plaza, the KoB bodyguards to either side, and enter the Sand Stone Palace's throne room.

We step before the throne, and stop beside a set of floor mats that lie in front of the king, whose long white beard scratches the floor and whose turban reaches a half foot over his head. In all truth, he looks more like a sultan than a king. Next to him is the dark-haired NPC we had saved from Frost Bandits earlier, the one who had given us this quest in the first place. Of course, as NPC's run off flags and not actual memory, she doesn't run over to thank us. We all sit down on the mats, ready to trigger the quest. Jade takes a deep breath, and then, as she is the one who received the quest in the first place, speaks the command to start the quest.

The King of Aradu opens his mouth as soon as Jade finishes speaking the command.

"Ah, noble travellers, I believe you are the ones that saved my lovely daughter, correct?"

The King doesn't wait for an answer because the system has already told him that it's a yes; no verbal output will change his programmed speech, so none of us bother replying.

"I assume you've all come here for the Tournament of The Whispering Sand, our famous ritual in which we give out one pardon to victorious criminal! Orange turns green again in Aradu, they say!"

_Orange turns green..._

We all let out a gasp, this is exactly what I—we, have been hoping for. I can barely contain my joy, but I remain seated and await the King's next words. The King then lets out a deep sigh, and continues.

"Regretfully, the tournament has been cancelled this year."

_Wait...what?_

"Hmm.. It seems this quest will be more complicated than expecteD" Argo says.

_This...is going to complicate things._


	12. Chapter 11: T Minus Eight

**Chapter 11: T Minus Eight.**

10:32 PM. November 6th, 2023.  
**  
**The blade runs a ragged path through the mob's head, destroying his helmet. A bright light streams across his face, leaving crimson polygons hanging in the air and knocking the last few points off his health bar. I watch him shatter as he crumbles to the ground, and the Heaven Splitter fades into its original colouring as the delay from the sword skill ends.

_That makes eight._

I spin around, dragging my sword into an «Uppercut» and smacking the nearest foe in the lower jaw. He spins from the hit, and falls face-first to the ground. I rush forth in an attempt to stab him in the back before he can recover, but Sword Art Online's advanced AI kicks in, and the mob realizes what I'm doing. The human-class "monster" opts to roll over and swipe at my feet with his curved blade instead of simply getting skewered while trying to stand up, a smart move. Unfortunately for him, I've seen them do this plenty of times by now.

_Gotcha._

I jump, and the bright green glow from his scimitar-_esque_ one-handed sword sails straight under my feet. I practically land on the hilt of my sword as the Heaven Splitter pierces his chest. My boots sink a few centimetres into the sand as the body beneath me disappears and an array of blue bursts out around me.

_Nine._

I turn towards the nearest enemy, who is currently throwing blows at a worn-out clearer, and launch myself into a «Sonic Leap». My quarry detects my attack, whirls around to face me and attempts to activate a charge, but the system initiates this too slowly for him to counter-attack, and I slice the figure from his grey bandanna all the way down to his belt. The mob stumbles backwards, its health decreasing quickly as a crimson line appears on its front. I step forward to take a swing at it, but before I can a spear pierces the Bandit's chest.

He shatters like glass, and through the shards of aqua light in his place I see a front-liner giving me the thumbs up. A gesture of thanks, no doubt. I nod back at him, and turn to face the rest of the battlefield. I wonder, for a moment, if he would even thank me like that if he had had time to look at my colour cursor. The words of a certain 'knight' slip into my thoughts for the umpteenth time today.

_Yeah, probably not._

I shelve my doubts in the "to address later" corner of my mind, and once again focus on the issue at hand. Namely, the battle raging before my very eyes, one which is very much a pressing issue for me and everyone around me.

If this was the real world, the sight before me would be easily confused with a rave. The once dark and gloomy courtyard of dull sand-stone is being lit up by dozens of streams of cyan, green, purple, and crimson light. The dazzling light show matched with the sounds of metal clashing against metal and players activating battle cries gives the entire plaza a strange feeling, like this entire thing is one huge oxymoron. To my right, Furinkazan are decimating Frost Bandits, to my left, Argo and Asuna are doing a number on a few Snow Elves. Swords, war-hammers, axes, curved blades, all the weapons around me are leaving little traces of colour in the air.

If only it wasn't a fight for our lives, I'd sit down and watch this spectacle if I could. It really is quite beautiful.

_I wonder what she would say..._

It's a harmonic chaos: the clearers defending the city, the hundreds of shards of light shooting towards the stars as the front-liners butcher the enemy, and the seemingly endless torrent of Frost Bandits and Snow Elves that seem to be rushing in from the dungeon's gate. At this point, I'm still not sure who's going to win this battle, I don't think anyone really knows.

_Not that it matters._

My eyes wander to the empty space beside me. The very air from her absence is somewhat suffocating. Perhaps I'd grown more used to her in the past few days than I'd like to admit. For a fraction a second, a pang of regret runs through me, but it passes as quickly as it arrived.

_No, I'm glad she's not here._

I sigh deeply, raise my sword up into the sky and then jump once more into the fray, the Heaven Splitter whistling as it sails through the air and embeds itself into the skull of a Snow Elf.

* * *

1:12 PM. November 6th, 2023

It's been an hour since we first walked into the throne room, but it feels like when we next step outside, the world could easily have fallen into some kind of apocalypse, and then recovered, and then descended into a dystopia. After all, they would have had an eternity to do it whilst we sat listening to the King of Aradu's speech.

"...and so, my good disciples, it seems that the grand prize will have to be given out for a different deed this year. For those who have travelled from the ends of my Kingdom, I would like to apologize, and ask you all to wait inside the city whilst I determine how the prize will be given. In the mean-time, I have a siege on my hands, and unfortunately must leave to man the walls" after a full hour of rambling on about the grandeur of his kingdom and the atrocities committed by the invading forces the King walks off in an urgent manner.

_Some Argus developer has a fixation with the ironic, it seems._

I rub the back of my head and let out a loud yawn. Out of the sixteen people who had entered this room, only four people have made it. Usually in SAO, this would be terrifying, but what had occurred to twelve souls in this room is far more innocent, but a thousand times more painful, in a sense.

Some of the strongest players in the game had been knocked unconscious. Not by the fall of a hammer or the swing of a sword, but by the sheer, overwhelming boredom which ebbed from every word the King spoke. Twelve sleeping players lie collapsed on the floors of this throne room, some snoring loudly, others out cold from today's stress. All but one of the members of Furinkazan are included in this mound; Klein is sitting beside them with weary, vigilant eyes.

The other three survivors of this ordeal are Asuna, Argo, and I. Asuna is sending messages frantically, her hand swiping at buttons and opening tabs, her eyes fixed on her work as a Sub-Leader. Argo is dusting herself off and getting up now that the King's speech is finished. She taps her foot twice on the ground, and Asuna looks up from her work and nods. The sub-leader of the KoB begins to nudge the giant, sleeping figure of Godfree with her foot, and I see Klein begins to wake his guild up too.

"Well, are you going to wake her up or carry heR?" Argo smiles mischievously at me. I look to my side, where, a few feet away, Jade is laying on her side, facing away from us on a mat. I turn back and just nod at Argo, and she walks off to help Klein wake his guild. Sighing, I reach over to shake Jade awake, but my hand stops a few inches away from her shoulder.

_She's not sleeping_.

The thought plops into my mind as if weren't even my own, but sure enough, something is off. I didn't notice it earlier because I was too busy listening to the King; however, it's clear to me now that Jade hasn't moved an inch since she lay down a half hour ago. I can feel gloomy aura surrounding her entire body, giving me the impression that if I touch her she'll either crack like a pane of glass or make _me_ broken.

I consider asking "What's wrong?", but knowing Jade the answer will likely be "nothing". She consistently "forgot to mention" that she had a brother until earlier today, and even that discovery was more forced out of her by circumstances than revealed by choice. I suppose with her, it's better to just play along and pretend the issue doesn't exist.

_Jesus, she's troublesome sometimes_...

"Hey, Klaes..."

I turn to see the entirety of Furinkazan, along with Argo, Asuna, and Godfree staring at me expectantly. It's blatantly obvious that I'm holding my own party up now, so I sigh loudly and bend down to shake her shoulder with my right hand.

_Nothing._ No reaction.

"Wakey, wakey, Jade." I murmur as I shake her a little bit harder.

_Still nothing._

I sigh. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.

_She's going to kill me for this._

"Hey, I heard there's a clothing shop in town. We could go get you a desperately needed match-"

"NO!" Jade cuts me off.

Jade springs to her feet, her face bright red. The rest of the group stares at her curiously, and she mellows down before the fifteen pairs of eyes digging into her skull.

"I mean...no thanks, heh..." Jade plays it off incredibly awkwardly, but no one seems to push it. Argo throws me an inquisitive glance as she walks past me, but I wave it off.

"C'mon, let's go." I smile enthusiastic at Jade and gesture towards the door. Jade frowns at me, but she starts walking and soon we're heading to the door behind the rest of our group.

"Would you really have done that if I hadn't stopped you?" Jade growls grumpily.

"What? Buy you a pair?" I answer the question with another question and grin at her.

"Ugh...you know that's not what I meant." her words are bathed in frustration, but I can see the hint of a smile on her face.

"Oh...so you mean 'would I humiliate you like that?'" I ask in mock curiosity.

"Bingo!" Jade gives a wide, faked smile from ear to ear and puts both her thumbs up, nodding at me rapidly. She's playing along with the little game, and it seems she's starting to lighten up again.

I pretend to consider the question for a few seconds, and take a few steps ahead of her before turning on my heels.

"Without a moment's hesitation." I smirk at her.

Jade sighs and play-punches my arm as she walks by, obviously slightly recovered after her little batch of gloominess. I recall her outside the throne room, right before we went in, and the encounter with her brother. The tears still caught in her eyes even as the King had started his speech.

_It must really be bothering her._

I consider addressing it, but another issue comes to mind. A more pressing one, I suppose. That is, the reason we've all come to Aradu in the first place.

I'm about to speak when Klein does it for me.

"Gather around, we need to discuss what we just discovered."

_Translation: we need to tell the people who were sleeping what the King said._

"Argo, if you will?" I say, indicating towards the Rat. It's only natural that the information broker gives out the information, so Argo nods acceptingly in response.

"Okay, but this information is going to cost at lea-" she starts.

"Don't. Even. Try it." I cut her off.

The Rat laughs, sighs in resignation, and then relays the information to all the players in our group. For the few of us who were awake this is just recap, but considering most of the group was out cold and that Klein seemed to be more focused on taking care of his guild the entire way through, this has to be done.

When the rat finishes her concise, five minute summary of the last hour, silence ensues as everyone processes the new information. To my surprise, I see a pale hand shoot up from the side of the group, beside Furinkazan.

"Err... yes, Asuna?" Argo asks with a puzzled expression towards the sub-leader of the KoB, who currently has her hand raised like a school-girl. I hear Jade giggle next to me, and I see that most of Furinkazan have their jaws hanging a few centimetres above the ground.

_I guess habits transcend worlds, huh?_

Asuna lowers her hand in a hurry as she realizes what she's doing, and her eyebrow twitches in a mixture of frustration and humiliation. It strikes me that even with her cheeks bright red she manages to keep the same firm, confident expression. She takes a deep breath to clear the worst of the red from her face, and then speaks.

"So, in other words, none of us have any idea when this quest will be do-able, as the King himself said that he still has to figure out what will happen in place of the Tournament of Whispering Sands?" a loaded question slips past her lips, and combined with the look she's giving all of us it's obvious what her intent is.

_Please, don't do this._ I understand that she doesn't want an orange in the city, but at the same time: we can't get kicked out just yet. I don't have enough cash to keep paying Argo and sustaining Jade, and there's no doubt Furinkazan will have other duties. Dread washes over me as I realize that I may very well not be able to complete this quest, at least not any time soon.

_I don't want to be stuck with Orange_.

"Actually, I've got a pretty good idea of when we can trigger the next flag." Jade declares.

"Hmm?" the sound resounds from all those around us, as to their understanding she was sleeping the entire time the King was speaking, making it hard for her to know more than them. Even I'm a little taken off guard, because as much as I'd like to believe her, I have no idea what she could be talking about. At the looks of scrutiny around her, Jade raises her shoulders and smiles.

"Now then, would any of you be kind enough to check what _kind_ of quest this is?" Jade inserts some mock innocence and curiosity into her voice.

_As if she doesn't know the answer already._

Everyone opens their menus at top speed, with the two KoB bodyguards, who aren't part of our quest group, watching curiously. I press and slide through tabs frantically until I reach it.

**365 Aincradian Nights.**

I had only picked it up in the throne room, along with Furinkazan and Argo, but now it's pretty clear what Jade is talking about.

"Ah, of course." I hear Argo mutter.

"[Event Type Quest]" Klein reads from his window.

"...and the time is?" Jade stretches her arms lazily, looking very pleased with herself.

_I can't say I blame her, though; she just got us out of a pinch._

"10 PM, tonight." I finish the thought, and everyone goes silent...

"That's AGES from now." I hear someone from Furinkazan complain, and like wildfire it spreads. Within seconds everyone is whining and muttering amongst themselves. Gamers are the impatient type, it seems.

_They do have a point, though_.

It's 1:30 PM now. What are we supposed to do for eight full hours, and worse, under the constant supervision of KoB members? They certainly don't have time to watch over us for that long, do they? I can see Godfree grimacing, and Asuna holding her head in her hands in frustration. Indeed, this wait will kill us if we're all caged like this, the Knights of Blood bodyguards included. The answer to all our problems, as it rarely does in Aincrad, shows up before us.

Everyone goes quiet at the sight of the red Paladin, the Living Legend, Heathcliff, who practically materializes from behind a pillar.

"Leader, what are you doing here?" Asuna asks.

"Asuna, Godfree. We're having a strategy meeting in the centre of town with the rest of the clearers. I need you both to go there now." Heathcliff the Paladin addresses his sub-ordinates with a tone of absolute authority.

"Yes, sir." Asuna says, and begins to walk off towards the town centre. For whatever reason, it doesn't seem like Asuna can be bothered to ask what will happen to me, which is good news. If she doesn't protest, we may just be in the clear and free of our "escorts".

Godfree looks at his sub-leader walking away, turns to the leader with a look of slight worry, and asks the one question I was hoping wouldn't even cross his mind.

"What about the orange player?" he asks as if I'm not even there.

Heathcliff smiles warmly. "I don't think he'll be a problem, besides, all the clearers will be in the North Plaza, so there's no real issue of a fight starting" His logic, as ever, is sound.

"Okay, sir." The Paladin watches Godfree trot off behind Asuna, and then he directs his attention to Furinkazan.

"Those clearers, by the way, include your guild, Klein."

Klein signals to the rest of his guild, his serious expression a great distance away from his usual look of an easy-going slacker.

Furinkazan collectively head off behind the KoB members, and Argo gives a quick wave and then starts jogging leisurely after them. Shockingly enough, The Paladin himself is still standing before Jade and I, and doesn't seem to be keen on moving any time soon.

"Uh..." I try speaking, but unlike my first encounter with him at the gates, I can't suppress a feeling of awe. He is the strongest player in the world, whose defence shatters the balance of the entire game and whose fame runs from the front-line all the way down to the Starting City and back again. Being in the presence of such a player, one who has thousands of lives riding on his success, is somewhat suffocating.

"You have a very interesting choice of armour." The Paladin's booming voice fills the air around Jade and I.

_Is he talking about..._

Sure enough, his eyes are fixed on my gauntlet.

"It's just a style thing" I lie. Heathcliff snorts at my response and shakes his head, his eyes still as metallic and emotionless as ever.

"I saw you swat my sub-leader's sword aside when you were first confronted with that gauntlet, it is an interesting, and obviously practised strategy."

"Ugh..." He saw straight through it.

_The best informed player in the game knows fact from fiction? Shocker._

"He can catch swords mid-strike, too!" Jade practically yells from beside me, intent on making this situation even worse for me. I swivel my head around to face her, and I am met with sheer, childish radiance coupled with a heavy "this is payback" look. Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to give away her issue with undergarments, but this is a little much for retribution, isn't it?

_My revenge will be sweet, Jade._

I have no quarrel with Heathcliff, but the trick I have with my gauntlet has always been the one ace I've had it as an orange player. I've used it countless times in fights, and I would probably be dead if not for the shock it gives players who are trying to hunt me down. The fact that a man who apparently has a huge network of information brokers knows this is not necessary something I feel happy about. I look at the man, expecting to see the same serious, stern face he always wears, but instead the cool atmosphere is gone and in its place is a look of almost childish curiosity.

"Can you really?" In an instant, "The Paladin" has disappeared. The same cool atmosphere is still there, but there's also this feeling of a drive for knowledge that replaces all sternness, like one might expect from a scientist.

_Perhaps Heathcliff is a scientist in real life._

I keep that thought to myself, of course. Asking such things is taboo.

"Yes, it is possible." I decide to answer honestly. The Paladin nods his head a few times, as if considering, and then he opens his menu.

"If you don't mind, show me?" Heathcliff says as he presses a button. Before me, a silver box appears on my heads-up-display. "Accept the Duel?"

"Whaa-" I start in shock.

"Don't worry; I have no intention of hurting you. Set it to First Strike mode. I assure you that I won't use an attack powerful enough to kill you. Even if it hits critical." The Paladin explains almost hurriedly, obviously itching to test the gauntlet trick out.

_Why should I duel?_

I look up at the man, standing there, patiently awaiting a decision that to him must seem obvious. I'm an orange player, and if he kills me, he won't be punished. However, if he really is as noble as they say he is, I shouldn't get hurt, and this is a once in a lifetime chance to fight the Living Legend. Besides, if I show Heathcliff I trust him, he might help me into the clearers.

_But..._

"Aww, stop squirming and accept the duel already, Klaes. You look pathetic just standing there." Jade begs in a sing-song voice, winking at me. I glare at her and, at the challenge, turn back and hit "First Strike Mode" to accept the duel.

The countdown starts.

60...59...

Under these settings, in a normal duel no one would die. However, I have no idea how strong this player is. For all I know, The Paladin could kill me in one hit. The notion is absurd, as I am decently high level, but this guy has been known to consistently surpass the game's boundaries.

_I wonder how he does it..._

42...41...

"Good luck, Klaes." Jade gives me a pat on the back and then retreats outside the circle, giving us the space needed to fight.

35...34

"Just to be clear, is this an actual fight?" I ask.

"Yes, I'll create the opportunity for you to use your gauntlet, but I want to see if it works in an actual battle." Heathcliff's voice is monotone, but his aura is enough to make me trust him

_If that's how it's going to be, fine._

He definitely has strength over me, but if I can keep myself moving, I might be able to win There's a chance that my AGI skill is higher than his.

20...19.

_The wait is killing me._

13...12...

Usually, there would be a crowd cheering around us right now. During my early days of Sword Art Online and during the Beta test, I hated the amount of people who'd gather around for duels. But now, in its absence, I realize just how tense it feels without people yelling "Kill him!". If I had more time, I'd probably bask in the irony of that.

10...9…

Jade gives me the thumbs up and smiles and I throw her a dirty look back at her, to which she pouts in a "What did I do?" fashion.

_It's your fault I'm in this mess in the first place._

6..5...

I draw my sword and stare down Heathcliff. The man, who hadn't moved an inch since the start of a countdown, pulls his sword out of the sheath on his shield, and gets ready.

...4...

I take a deep breath, and swing myself into a stance, my Heaven Splitter ready.

_The first hit will decide this duel._

3...2...1

_..zero._

The counter hits zero, and in a flurry of movement Heathcliff switches his stance from a defensive one into charge and launches himself towards me. I move quickly out of the feigned charge stance and go into an uppercut to parry his sword. With a clang, the Heaven Splitter hits the Holy Sword, and his sword is pushed upwards. I drag my sword down back-handed, the red tip of my blade shining dark blue as I launch a heavy-hitting sword-skill, «Vorpal Strike», at The Paladin. It seems like he won't have time to parry it with his sword, and his shield isn't going up.

_Am I actually going to beat the Paladin in a duel ?_ A giddy sensation runs through me as my blade arcs towards the Living Legend.

A giddy sensation that is rudely crushed by hard metal smashing into my chest. My «Vorpal Strike» cancels due to the interruption, and I'm sent flying backwards by the blow.

_Wha-_

Mid-air, an uncomfortable pressure flows through my body as the system registers the hit on me. I land with my back on the sand and slide half a meter before I roll myself back onto my feet. The Paladin is in a defensive stance a few meters away from me, a confident smile on his face. I look to the top left of my vision, and realize happened when I see my health has dropped less than 5%, not enough to end the duel.

_Ah, so that's the unique skill._

If a one-handed attack hit me, there's a chance, no, certainty that I would already be in the yellow zone by now, and this duel would have ended prematurely. It wasn't his sword that hit me, though. Indeed, it seems that his shield is just as effective at interrupting an attack halfway through an attack as a blade or hammer would be.

"You're not too bad." Heathcliff says as he raises his blade again.

"Thank you." I mutter as I draw my blade back up into an offensive stance. It seems like he wants me to attack him this time.

_Have it your way._

I kick hard onto the sand and launch myself into a «Rage Spike», going straight for his neck with my blade pointed at his neck. I change the direction of the attack, hitting the sand about a meter in front of him and kicking up a cloud of dust between us. The cloud surprises me, somewhat.

_This isn't how sand works... obviously Argus people don't go to the beach much. _.

_Oh well, may as well use it to my advantage._

I «Sonic Leap» through the dust, closing my eyes as I go through it to avoid a «Blinded» effect. When I open them again, the Heaven Splitter is coming down on The Paladin's shield. He blocks it easily, and as the delay kicks in he sidesteps me, swiping his sword horizontally at my back. I dive to the ground, feeling the attack sweep over my head as I fall into the yellow grains beneath me. If that had hit me, the duel would have ended in an instant.

_What happened to the whole 'testing' thing?_

I suppose even the Paladin gets carried away by fights. It's normal for gamers.

_Focus on the matter at hand, Klaes._

Right. I launch myself back to my feet, positioning my one-handed sword at a forty-five degree angle to my waist, my left hand close to my chest, and my right foot far forward. In this stance, he will have to leave his unshielded side open to hit me in the back. As the dust from my fall clears, a blur of crimson rushes out from it, his sword swinging at diagonally towards my neck at an godly speed.

"Shit!" I swear as I try to parry it with the Heaven Splitter, but the sheer force from the sword-skill makes both our blades rebound from the hit. Stumbling backwards, I watch as Heathcliff plants his back foot to regain his balance, and then smacks me in the side of my face with his shield. My vision blurs for a second, but once again the damage is minimal. However, that wasn't the intent of his attack. The shield blow has spun me around so that my left side is facing him, and he's attacking with a powerful overhead slice.

_So this is the 'chance', huh?_

I raise my hand up, and with a mild boost of adrenaline, manage to catch the attack. The sheer force of the sword-skill makes me crumple onto one knee, and the sand around me is pushed up from the force of the hit, but my dark blue gauntlet stops the weapon from cracking my skull. My health drops by a few percentiles, but not enough to finish the duel. Heathcliff looks genuinely impressed by the trick.

"Hmm, I had no idea that was possible in Sword Art Online." he looks slightly amused, as if new knowledge in this game was a rare thing.

I knock his one-handed sword to the side with the Heaven Splitter, and slam him with shoulder before he can react. He slides back about a meter, but his shield appears before him before I can get an attack in. I try hitting him in the feet with a cheap swing at his feet.

His shield stops me.

I roll back, dodging another strike and then try to hit him with a «Slant» on his left side.

His sword stops me.

I sally forth with a «Vertical Arc», the air before me creating a light green V as my swords draws a trajectory across my target.

His shield blocks both hits.

It's becoming pretty clear now that he's fought players before, and that like when fighting most experienced duellers, sword skills are useless.

_His defence is unbreakable...Dammit, there's no point in attacking the shield side._

I dodge to the left, avoiding a quick stab without parrying and using «Minimum Side-Step Defence» to get past his shield. I snatch his weapon with my gauntlet, immobilizing it, and then pivot like a basketball player, dragging the sword in my right hand into a back-handed attack to Heathcliff's chest-plate. When my head turns around to face him, I am shocked to see that he has also spun.

His shield blocks my swipe.

_How? He couldn't have spun like that; I had his right hand caught._

As I hear metal clatter as it bounces on sandstone and even as the sound registers I get launched forward into the sand once again by the shield. There's no doubt, he dropped it.

_The Holy Sword._

Ah, the bastard. Spinning around like he did is _impossible_, as long as he kept his hand on his weapon, he wouldn't be able to twist to block it like that.

_However, if he were be audacious enough to let go of his weapon during a duel, leaving him only with a shield..._

I roll onto my back, swinging the Heaven Splitter up, but it's smacked aside at an insane speed by Heathcliff, faster than any of his previous strikes. The sheer force of the hit sends my blade flying out my hands and it bounces across the sand-stone next to me, finally coming to a stop atop a mound of sand a few meters away.

_Well it seems he's stopped going easy._

Heathcliff flips the sword around in his hand, so that the sharp-end is facing down towards me but his fist is still the right side up. With a swift movement, he stabs at my chest. **Clang**. A loud, metallic sound rings out as I attempt to block it with the top of my left hand, the gauntlet sounds like it's being worked on by a buzz saw, the plate mail screeching as I push the Holy Sword away from me. My HP is decreasing steadily, but I manage to hold the sharp, offending object a few centimetres short of my skin. Then, Heathcliff activates a sword-skill.

His attack goes straight through my hand, and into my chest. I curse loudly as my HP bar decreases by 20%, ending the duel instantly. The sound of breaking glass explodes from near my chest, and a message pops up on my screen.

[Duel Over. Winner: Heathcliff. Time 01:02]

"Interesting. Using an Outside-System Skill like that. Well, I have a strategy meeting to get to. To think SAO would allow such a thing..." I hear Heathcliff mutter as he walks off, but I don't see him. I'm still staring up in the sky in absolute, utter frustration at how easily he beat me. I close my eyes and sigh in utter, complete defeat.

_To be beaten by such a cheap trick..._

Then again, he only showed his true strength as a player during the second half of the he had started at the same speed I saw at the very end of the battle, it would have been over in seconds instead of minutes. Knowing this...

_...I got my ass kicked._

I feel the sand near my head shift slightly, and I can hear the very faint sound of someone breathing nearby. I refuse to open my eyes though, as I'm well aware that the first thing I'll see is Jade wearing a stupid, smug grin, a sight which I currently don't have the energy for. I think for now, it'll be better if I just lie here in the sand and pretend the world around me doesn't exist.

Unfortunately, this strategy doesn't work when the outside world seems to be determined to nudge your cheek with their fingers. The nudging soon upgrades itself into shaking, the intensity of this attempt to get me to open my eyes likely directly proportional to the offender's amusement.

**Shake**

_Oh, piss off._

**Shake**

_Give me a break..._

**Shake**

This time, she shakes my shoulder hard enough for my head to flop to the side, and I get the unpleasant feeling of sand rubbing up against my cheeks. Unable to fully contain my irritation, I blow some air out of my nose, but I still refuse to look at her. After a few seconds, the shaking stops and I am once again left alone with the darkness. It's a nice place, with no colours or distinctions, or Paladin's who beat me with ease. I like it here.

"Wakey, wakey, Klaes!" The invading sound comes from over a foot above my head, the softness of the voice mixed with its mocking tone making it unmistakably Jade's.

_Have you no mercy?_

Still, I refuse to budge.

"Hey, I heard there's a pawn shop in town. We could go see if they have any spare 'dignity' for sale, because-"

Still with my eyes closed, I launch my right arm up and clamp the source of the sound shut with my mouth. The second half of Jade's little stab at me turns into a steady stream of mumbles, but I can guess at what it was. I open my eyes and look up the blonde, who has rested her knees on the sand above my head, from my angle, it looks like she's upside down. She is still mumbling away, her finger pointed up into the air and her eyes closed, as if she was giving some sort of important speech.

_I'm glad I can't hear her._

"To be fair he did beat me with a cheap trick..." I mutter.

Jade opens her eyes, and a pair of brilliant, emerald pupils dig into my skull. She tilts her head sideways ever so slightly and the same bemused, stupid look I had imagined plasters itself onto her face.

_Suddenly, I hate myself for giving in this easily._

"Pot meet kettle, Klaes. You're the one who uses a fault in the piercing system to _catch_ swords mid-strike."

_Ah, a surprisingly good point._

"Okay, okay. I know: he kicked my ass."

She puffs air out of her nose, seemingly in amusement, and then gets up, walks around me.

"Well, this is disappointing: it's a lot harder to make fun of you if you just admit it." She teases.

"Yeah, well even I lose fights."

"The 'heroic' and 'valiant' Klaes defeated in combat. Gasp thrice!" Jade exclaims in mock astonishment. Despite myself, I laugh. The name of an orange player and the words "heroic" tend to never get placed in the same sentence unless it's "This heroic player slaughtered an evil orange guild", so it's hilarious to hear it spun this way, even in jest.

"Still, for him to beat you with such ease..." Jade says this in all seriousness, ponders, and then outstretches her left hand towards me. I stare at it blankly for a few seconds. The lack of party play for the last few months have made me alien to such gestures, but as a dormant part of my brain kicks in I scramble to grab it.

She picks me up off the floor, and I dust some sand off my trench-coat. As I flick some sand off my shoulder, I stop dead in my tracks. I lift my hand up into my face, trying to pinpoint what's wrong. And then it hits me: my left hand's skin is showing, the heavy gauntlet that is usually equipped is missing. My mind wanders back to the very end of the duel, and the distinct sound of glass shattering.

_The same sort of sound they use when an item breaks._

"Damn." Jade has obviously realized too.

"Well, looks like I'm going to have to get a new one..." I grumble. Buying items as an orange player is not easy, for a wide variety of reasons. Black markets are usually the way to go, and they usually sell for at least double the regular price. It's always problematic to buy items, especially armour and weapons.

_Ah, this is going to be a pain._

"Well, let's get to it then." Jade starts trotting down the stairs of the palace and into the Central Plaza, and I stop dead in my tracks in utter horror…she wants me to buy stuff _here_?

"Wait, I can't just-" I try protesting, but Jade throws an inquisitive glance over her shoulder, and it alone cuts me off. A smile appears on her face.

"Have you forgotten already? We're in Aradu, the city where _orange turns green._"

_Oh, of course._

I don't have to worry about town guards, unfriendly NPCs, or negative effects in this place. The system has deemed this place a safe-haven for Orange players, and that's what it is. However... it just wouldn't feel _right_, running around and buying stuff like a regular player.

"What about the green players?" I ask, trying to make it sound like I'm not looking for an excuse and failing miserably.

Jade chuckles, turns around, and then smiles brightly.

"All the players are in the strategy meeting, remember? We can go wherever we like."

I look at her, bowing my head in resignation.

_I've lost._

"Well, Klaes?"

"Okay, let's go."

We walk down the stairs, into the plaza, and then dive into the stalls of Aradu.

* * *

8:30 P.M, November 6th, 2023.

Although the hustle and bustle that a city in Aincrad would usually have is absent due to the still-ongoing strategy meeting, the lively BGM tunes blasted by the NPC orchestra, combined with the hectic layout of the shops in Aradu lets off a pleasant atmosphere as we weave between stalls and vendors. The NPC barkers throw their usual calls to us as we pass by, their pleas for our business going largely ignored by Jade and I as she drags me through the streets by my hand. On my left hand, currently trailing behind me as I sprint to keep up with her, is a brand new dark-blue gauntlet of the highest class of metal I could afford. Jade takes another two huge strides and then something catches her eye, so she pirouettes on the tip of her snow-white boots, turning 90 degrees and practically launching the two of us into a street-side pawn shop.

I feel Jade let go of my hand, and hear her begin to walk around the room. I take the opportunity and begin to stabilize my breath and rest for what feels like the first time in years. After months of fighting monsters and players, I've forgotten how brutal an outing can be with a girl on a shopping spree. For both your wallet and your health.

_This is more tiring than fighting Heathcliff..._

It wouldn't be too far from the truth to say we've been in just about every shop in the city, although I've only really seen about half of those we visited. Most of the time, my head has been bowed down as I try desperately to regain my breath.

_How do women do this? It's exhausting..._

"Hey, are you okay?" I look up to see Jade, who seems to be having trouble deciding whether she should be suspicious or worried.

"Yeah, I'm just great, thanks." I wave my hand dismissively at her, but to my dismay it doesn't have the intended effect, and she just continues to stand there.

"Is that a hint of sarcasm on your voice I hear?" Jade questions me, the suspicion now far outweighing her worry for me.

_Perhaps?_

"Oh no, of course not. I'm one hundred-percent used to running miles around the same area for hours on end." I answer dryly.

"Aww, _poor you_. Ever heard of exercise?" she teases.

"Well, I did read a manga about sports once." I suggest jokingly.

Jade chuckles at my response.

"We'll look around in this store for a while, that should give you a chance to rest, but please, don't stand there looking at the floor. I'm not comfortable with having such pathetic company."

"Yes, sir!" I salute in response, and she smiles and waves me off to a section of the store. I grudgingly drag my feet over to a certain aisle of items on display right next to the counter, and begin to scour through the assortment of potions, crystals, basic weaponry, and clothing that faces me with weary eyes.

_Blink Dagger, Teleport Crystal, Queen's Knightsword, and..._

_Oh, what's this?_

The cloth is white, the pattern on the sides frilly. It is not the first time I have seen these, I have a sister, after all, but my face still goes slightly red. Once I've recovered from the initial embarrassment, my eyes dart towards were Jade is standing. She's looking at some kind of necklace, although I'm not sure whether it's for stat boosts or aesthetic value.

_Perfect._

I take a deep breath, and look up at the NPC store-owner to my right. If he were a player, I would never have the guts to do this, but...here goes.

_I told you that my revenge would be sweet, didn't I?_

"Excuse me, I would like to buy this."

Within seconds, I've paid my col and acquired the set of items. I look over at Jade once again, and to my relief she is entirely unaware of the mischievous state of my half of the store. I place the set in my storage, and then, satisfied for the time being, walk over to Jade.

"Hey" I call out to her.

"Oh, hey there." Jade responses, her attention focused on a particular set of throwing picks.

_She trains her «Blade Throwing» skill? I never would have guessed._

_Then again, I've known her for less than a week. I suppose it's normal not to know much about her at all. _

The words her brother said earlier re-enter my head. Looking at this girl right now, running around a shopping area like some overly excitable high-school girl, does she really belong on the most dangerous area of a death game? I roll the idea around in my head for a while, but then I dispel the thoughts from my mind and shake my head.

_No point in thinking about it, she's the one choosing to be on the front-lines, after all._

"So, did you find anything interesting?" I make small-talk to hide my concerns.

"Not really, there's a few strong weapons but nothing good enough to replace Laaien" She indicates towards her one handed sword absent-mindedly, still fixated on the merchandize in front of her.

"If you want them, I'll get them for you." I offer.

"Nah, my «Blade Throwing» skill isn't anywhere near enough to justify buying these. Besides, Argo just messaged me, the strategy meeting is over; so we should probably get back to the others soon. The Event's going to start in an hour or so, after all."

_Oh right._

I had almost completely forgotten about tonight's [EVENT] which the quest mentions. Of course, nothing is specified, so what actually happens at 10 PM tonight is still a mystery to all of us. I think the sheer effort of keeping up with Jade made my mind go blank in regards to everything else, but I'm still somewhat surprised that I forgot.

"Right, we should probably go." I concede.

"Yea."

We walk back out onto the streets together, and sure enough, the clearers are back at the shops again. I get a few suspicious glances at my colour cursor as I glide by the crowds of front-liners with Jade, but the only hostility I face is in the form of looks and a few overhead utterances along the side of the streets. The sense of "not belonging" is still strong, but I get the feeling someone, probably Klein or Heathcliff, requested that no one confront me.

_This is convenient._

"Oh yeah, did you happen to buy anything back at that shop? I saw you talking to the vendor." Jade questions me as we push our way through the crowds. I'm surprised she saw me; after all, I planned to give this to her later. However, when I look at the people swarming around us, look back and Jade, and come to a sick conclusion.

_This is my chance_.

"Ah... you weren't supposed to see that." I give my best impression of someone whose surprise has just been ruined, which isn't entirely faked. Her eyebrow cocks up in curiosity, and her emerald green eyes light up in anticipation. To my delight, she asks the next logical, and predictable, question.

"Supposed to see what, exactly?" Her voice can barely contain her excitement.

"Uhm...I got you a gift..." I muster as much of "bashful Klaes" as I can and send my words out in a neat package of false embarrassment and nervousness.

"Really?!" Jade exclaims in a mix of surprise and happiness. For a spit second, a pang of guilt runs through me, but it's gone before my conscience has a chance to kick and scream its way to the front of my mind.

"Yeah..." my cheeks flush slightly, on part due to acting and on part because Jade has grabbed my arm in an almost childish way, as if she's about to burst in anticipation.

"Can I see it? Please, Klaes?"

_The first time she ever said please, huh?_

_All the better._

I pull up my inventory, locked onto on "private" so she can't see what I'm doing, and open the set in gift mode. I hand a little red and yellow packet to her, and she looks at it gleefully. As she presses the open button, an evil grin runs cheek to cheek across my face.

Two white, frilly items pop up in the middle of street of Aradu, drawing the curious stares of many a front-liner. Jade's face is locked in a state of pure horror, a deep red flush making its way up her cheeks.

Still wearing the same grin, I speak, cherishing every word as they slip out of my lips.

"I told you I'd get you a matching pair, didn't I?"

* * *

The streets of the city prove to be an obstacle course as I dash through the crowd. My boots clatter against the hard sand-stone and I take a leap through a gap in the sea of front-liners before me. I continue sprinting, throwing the occasional "excuse me" or "I'm sorry" as I push my way through the masses. Hot on my tail is a harpy intent on ending my life. At least, it may as well be one: judging from the furious shrieks coming from a few feet behind me, it sounds as if Jade is out for blood. Although that may be optimism. For a multitude of reasons, I suspect a fate worse than death awaits me if she catches up to me now.

_Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea, after all._

I take a desperate right turn and sprint into an alley, leaving the busy road behind me. Seconds later, I hear yelling as Jade bursts through the crowd and gives chase. Still running at full speed, I turn onto another main road, laughing as Jade shouts another obscenity at me. Just as I come up to another turn, her yelling stops.

_Hah, she's given up _, _has she ?_

I turn around to see that two purple-clad players have stopped her in her tracks. Almost instantly, I recognize one as her brother.

_Crap._

I run over to help her, but by the time I reach them the two knights have already left. Jade stands there with a dejected look, her sword hanging limply at her side. After another run in with Prodotes, it's almost as if she's a piece of glass that's been cracked along the middle. Fragile, easily broken. Not the kind of person you'd expect to be taking an active role in a death game.

…_why did she have to follow me to the front-lines? It's too...i_

I shake the thought of my head. No point in doubting her.

"Hey..." I speak with full intention of making her feel better, but the next words don't come out.

_I really don't know what to say._

I've only known her for a few days, and only known that she had a brother for a few hours. We can tease each other all we like, that's easy. People who've known each other less than a day can jest, provided they get along. But to console, to help in times of emotional need? Dialling a random number into a phone and talking to whoever picks up would yield similar results; nowhere near enough to make a difference. Still, I have to do something, and when I look passers-by looking in puzzlement at her bowed head, an idea comes into the mind.

"C'mon, let's get off the main road."

Jade still looks dejected, but she nods in response in response.

I lead her down the road and take the first turn I see, climbing up the stairs onto the roof of a small house. The moonlight bathes the ground around us, and Jade leaves my side and goes to lean out over the wall, gazing down at the bustling shops below us. I sit down and lean back on one of the side walls, a meter or two away from her.

Minutes pass in silence. Neither of us have anything to say. "I'm sorry about your brother." "I'm sorry that everyone here hates you because of your colour cursor". Statements which carry no meaning between us yet. We avoid the elephant in the room, and stay quiet.

She's the one who shatters the silence.

"Well, it's been one hell of day."

I chuckle softly and take a deep, exasperated breath.

"Yeah...it has."

"I never imagined you'd get your ass kicked that hard, though." A bit of the familiar teasing tone has returned to her voice, and despite the insult, I smile.

"The hardest part of the fight was the aftermath. Opening my eyes to your smug smile was a pain far worse than any of the hits I took."

"Glad to be of service." she looks over her shoulder as she says this, beaming at me with precisely the grin which irritated me after the fight.

"Ha. Ha."

The conversation exhausts itself and we fall back into silence, the lack of noise clogging the air between us. I feel like I should talk, but every time I open my mouth, air comes out in place of words or phrases. Frustrated at my own shortcomings, I shuffle awkwardly in my spot.

Jade looks up to the "stars" above and once again breaks the silence.

"You know Klaes, it's weird."

"What is?"

"When I was a kid, for some reason I was always unable to make any friends..."

"With your _charming_ personality? There's a sur-"

"You know what? Never mind." She cuts me off.

"Sorry. I'll listen."

"Chr-Prodotes, my brother, that is, was really my only friend when we were kids. He looked after me, took care of me, and even when one of his friends started bullying me, he stood up for me... He guided me along within the first few months of SAO, too. He was a brother, a mentor, and a companion all in one" she speaks of him, the one who has only just recently mistreated her, with love. There is no doubt about this tone to her voice.  
"But..." she continues, her gaze still fixed on the 'stars', "...things change."

The image of a girl with jet-black hair and a boy my age come to mind.

_Yes, I suppose they do._

"The first offer to join a Guild he got, he took it. Before I knew it, I was all alone with my only link to the real world about fifteen floors above me. I...panicked, and I guess I just began to make the climb up." Her voice falters slightly, and her shoulders visibly slump. I pick myself up from my sitting position and lean back against the wall, unsure of what to say, what to do, or how to act.

"It was stupid, right? To climb this whole way up, hell, even get help from an _orange_, and for what? To get yelled at? Shamed, told I didn't belong? Why...why did I even bother..." her voice fades, anger, frustration, and sadness resonating from every word. I walk up, and lean next to her on the same wall, both our gazes fixed on the artificial lights dotting the sky above. We stand there, an absence of sound consuming the night as my mind races for the right words, the right thing to say. Hell, anything I could say...

_The same could go for me, huh?_

The thought doesn't strike me as strange. So, finally, I close my eyes and speak.

"Don't give up just because the first attempt didn't work out. We would have all left this city if I had that mindset. By the time this is all over, I'll be a green player, and you'll be on good terms with your brother again. We'll just keep trying until we reach that point." I open my eyes, and look over at Jade.

Her mouth is in a little "o", her eyebrows raised, and a look of mild surprise in her the looks of it, she wasn't expecting an answer at all, let alone a promise of sorts. I'm about to try to wriggle my way out of it, but her face warms up and a smile runs its way across her cheeks.

"It seems at least one good thing came out of this trip." she says, a hint of teasing edging on her voice. I feel my face redden slightly, so I make like an astronomer and direct all my attention to the skies. When I feel her eyes digging into the side of my head, I smile and turn to her. We're both leaning out our weight resting on our elbows. The city below us is still bustling with players, yet I hear her voice with ease.

"Klaes?"

"Yeah?" I respond.

"How did you become orange?"

* * *

11:20 P.M, November 6th, 2023

_Fourteen._

The Frost Bandit cracks like a China vase as he falls backwards, and then explodes into an array of blinding, blue shards of light. I step through his residue and slash at a nearby Snow Elf, aggroing him. He spins on his heels and engages me with a two-handed sword. I dodge and stab at his side, but he knocks it away with a quick parry. With someone to switch with, the delay gap goes unused, and we begin a barrage of attacks as soon as the delay ends.

_If I had someone to Switch with, this would be a lot easier._

But I don't. The moment on top of the roof comes back to mind, and, for the first time tonight, I utterly and honestly regret what I did. Sure, maybe she doesn't belong here, but maybe if she was here, I'd be doing better. At least that's what I think. It's pointless to ponder over it though, she's not coming back. It's for the best, after all…

_You're a murderer._

_._

* * *

**Notes:**

Finally, internet! It's like a breath of fresh air after more than a month of C&W fixing it up. I'm posting this from a hotel right now, and since I'm on vacation I won't be doing much writing, but expect at least another chapter or two before the end of July. I can't apologize enough for the delays, which are as much my fault as the lack of internet's. Regardless, here's a 9.5k word chapter to keep you guys busy.

The next chapter will a lot more action oriented, considering it is, after all, **The Battle For Aradu.**


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